The article isn't clear whether this was a voluntary public statement or a result of a direct question (the TechFlash article seems to hint that it was a question). It makes a pretty big difference.
Had he answered with "no comment", the headline would've been "Microsoft shaking in their boots". Giving a vague non-answer might have been safer, but it still doesn't mean we should read too much into his answer (and even that could have been twisted any number of ways).
