Microsoft treats Windows APIs as a contract with the developer, with behavior defined by specifications. Are Linux libraries typically managed that rigorously?
Linux the kernel does that—see linus's rants about how 'kernel does not break userspace'. Unfortunately, someone decided at some point that versioned libraries should be a thing, and then all hell broke loose when openssl and glibc decided to break compatibility in minor versions so now it's just a free-for-all.