Bing, Azure, and Office 365 all started under Ballmer. Microsoft’s stock was not priced rationally during his time but the company’s financials were also record

Bing, Azure, and Office 365 all started under Ballmer. Microsoft’s stock was not priced rationally during his time but the company’s financials were also record setting for much of his tenure. About the only thing missed was smartphones. It was a big miss but obviously it hasn’t mattered since Microsoft’s present success has been built entirely on what Ballmer started. I am not sure why he is so vilified. All leaders will make mistakes. But in his case people are willing to ignore the successes. Nadella gets some credit as well, but it would be a falsehood to attribute Microsoft’s move into online services to him.