4 ms·

Yeah, because pop culture and how cool you think a guy is really matters. In the mean time since he has been CEO Microsoft has doubled their profit. Metrics mat

Yeah, because pop culture and how cool you think a guy is really matters. In the mean time since he has been CEO Microsoft has doubled their profit. Metrics matter.

houseabsolute 16y ago
To be fair, merely doubling profits doesn't mean much. It's his performance against the average CEO's that yields a comparison that makes sense. Has the number of personal computers active in the world only doubled since he took the helm? If so, I suppose that doubling MS's profits is acceptable. But I'd be surprised if engagement with computing devices has only doubled, so it's possible he's underperforming expectations.
CamperBob 16y ago
The grade is curved, though, and Ballmer's a hell of a long way from the top.
mattmanser 16y ago
In the last 10 years would you like to estimate how much the computer industry sector has grown? Double or would I hazard a guess at significantly more? So, put it into context and doubling the profits is pretty pathetic.
- keithwarren 16y ago
  They have held their PC market share in tact so regardless how much the market has grown they have gone with it. Pretty hard to push past 80+ % share.
  - houseabsolute 16y ago
    The important thing from my standpoint as an investor is that the CEO "show me the money." Whether that's in terms of profits distributed as dividends, or as a growth in the value of my equity, it doesn't matter, but it has to happen some way. If it doesn't, I'm pretty disappointed. How much value has Ballmer created for his shareholders over the past ten years? Does it compare well to other companies with stable market shares in their primary line of business? These are the questions that interest me, not merely whether he's been able to maintain a market share status quo. That's the baseline of competency, not a sign of success.

4 ms·

Yeah, because pop culture and how cool you think a guy is really matters. In the mean time since he has been CEO Microsoft has doubled their profit. Metrics mat

by keithwarren 16y ago

Yeah, because pop culture and how cool you think a guy is really matters. In the mean time since he has been CEO Microsoft has doubled their profit. Metrics matter.

houseabsolute 16y ago
To be fair, merely doubling profits doesn't mean much. It's his performance against the average CEO's that yields a comparison that makes sense. Has the number of personal computers active in the world only doubled since he took the helm? If so, I suppose that doubling MS's profits is acceptable. But I'd be surprised if engagement with computing devices has only doubled, so it's possible he's underperforming expectations.
CamperBob 16y ago
The grade is curved, though, and Ballmer's a hell of a long way from the top.
mattmanser 16y ago
In the last 10 years would you like to estimate how much the computer industry sector has grown? Double or would I hazard a guess at significantly more? So, put it into context and doubling the profits is pretty pathetic.
- keithwarren 16y ago
  They have held their PC market share in tact so regardless how much the market has grown they have gone with it. Pretty hard to push past 80+ % share.
  - houseabsolute 16y ago
    The important thing from my standpoint as an investor is that the CEO "show me the money." Whether that's in terms of profits distributed as dividends, or as a growth in the value of my equity, it doesn't matter, but it has to happen some way. If it doesn't, I'm pretty disappointed. How much value has Ballmer created for his shareholders over the past ten years? Does it compare well to other companies with stable market shares in their primary line of business? These are the questions that interest me, not merely whether he's been able to maintain a market share status quo. That's the baseline of competency, not a sign of success.