His road to this job was a long one. It began in July — about 12 weeks before the launch of healthcare.gov — when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced a massive reorganization. Ballmer offered DelBene a new role, but DelBene turned it down — "amicably," he says. "It was an important role, but it wasn't one that I could get passionate about," DelBene says, keeping mum on the specifics. He agreed to stay on until the end of 2013, then considered advising budding startups or working for tech companies and nonprofits.