The "long story" of is the tale of one of Microsoft's most significant security breaches, occurring just nine days before the operating system's official reveal. The Leak Timeline
Screenshots of the new UI surfaced on a Chinese forum, followed immediately by the full ISO of build 10.0.21996.1.co_release.210529-1541 leaking to the public. Windows 11 Build 21996.1 Leaked
A Microsoft employee inadvertently referenced build 21996 in a GitHub issue, hinting at its existence. The "long story" of is the tale of