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I normally stand back, emotionally unaffected by executives and their pursuits. But that "Developers, Developers, Developers" video of Ballmer and the all the p

by JTon 11y ago

I normally stand back, emotionally unaffected by executives and their pursuits. But that "Developers, Developers, Developers" video of Ballmer and the all the pointing and laughing makes me feel very sad. I get pangs every time I watch it :s. So to your comment, yes it's clear he cares

scholia 11y ago
He was also extremely successful in some respects, ie he tripled Microsoft's turnover and doubled profits while clearing up the anti-trust mess and operating under the supervision of the US DoJ for a decade. He also started all the things that are happening now, including Azure, Office 365, Surface, and apps on iOS and Android. Yes, even putting stuff into open source. You could also write a long list of things Ballmer got wrong. However, that's true of all tech CEOs, including the various CEOs of IBM, HP, Dell and Sun, among others.
- Maro 11y ago
  Agree, in business it's enough to be right some of the time: http://bytepawn.com/heisengames-business.html http://bytepawn.com/heisengames-business.html
snowwrestler 11y ago
I think caring so much was part of his shortcoming as a leader of Microsoft. He loved the company so much, and values loyalty so much, that he permitted a bubble to form around Microsoft that insulated them from the world changing around them. By the time they woke up, it was too late; they had lost their dominant position in computing. It was clear that he thought that part of his role as CEO was to be the chief cheerleader for Microsoft. Hence the high-energy appearances at the annual meeting, the scoffing at competitors, the bombastic interviews, etc. What Microsoft probably needed more was a tough critic--someone who could impose upon the company a set of standards and demands that would keep them from becoming too complacent. That's how Bill Gates saw himself. He kept a Mac in his office while they were working on Windows just so he could torment his dev team with the comparison. Under Ballmer, Microsoft missed the rise of search, missed the rise of open source, missed the rise of social media, and missed the rise of mobile--despite having solid technology and marketshare early in each of those instances.

by JTon 11y ago

scholia 11y ago

He was also extremely successful in some respects, ie he tripled Microsoft's turnover and doubled profits while clearing up the anti-trust mess and operating under the supervision of the US DoJ for a decade. He also started all the things that are happening now, including Azure, Office 365, Surface, and apps on iOS and Android. Yes, even putting stuff into open source. You could also write a long list of things Ballmer got wrong. However, that's true of all tech CEOs, including the various CEOs of IBM, HP, Dell and Sun, among others.

Maro 11y ago
Agree, in business it's enough to be right some of the time: http://bytepawn.com/heisengames-business.html http://bytepawn.com/heisengames-business.html

snowwrestler 11y ago

I think caring so much was part of his shortcoming as a leader of Microsoft. He loved the company so much, and values loyalty so much, that he permitted a bubble to form around Microsoft that insulated them from the world changing around them. By the time they woke up, it was too late; they had lost their dominant position in computing. It was clear that he thought that part of his role as CEO was to be the chief cheerleader for Microsoft. Hence the high-energy appearances at the annual meeting, the scoffing at competitors, the bombastic interviews, etc. What Microsoft probably needed more was a tough critic--someone who could impose upon the company a set of standards and demands that would keep them from becoming too complacent. That's how Bill Gates saw himself. He kept a Mac in his office while they were working on Windows just so he could torment his dev team with the comparison. Under Ballmer, Microsoft missed the rise of search, missed the rise of open source, missed the rise of social media, and missed the rise of mobile--despite having solid technology and marketshare early in each of those instances.