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Positives: Only threw away 10-20b on pointless acquisitions (aQ, etc.). Successfully avoided buying Nokia, or pulling an HP/Compaq Fiorina fiasco, and didn't b

by rdl 13y ago

Positives: Only threw away 10-20b on pointless acquisitions (aQ, etc.). Successfully avoided buying Nokia, or pulling an HP/Compaq Fiorina fiasco, and didn't buy a big dying services organization to chase IBM. Also didn't do like HP's board with the lawsuits and revolving door CEOs and such. Avoided major criminal activity.

derefr 13y ago
This should sound like a ridiculous set of "positives", but it doesn't. Instead, I'm thinking--when you put it that way, Ballmer certainly wasn't the worst they could have done. Not by far.
gnoway 13y ago
"Avoided being caught and held responsible for major criminal activity." I suspect this is a more true statement.
seanmcdirmid 13y ago
Got lucky on yahoo.
devx 13y ago
How about paying $8 billion for Skype, a zero-profit company, and almost paying $40 billion for Yahoo?
- lotso 13y ago
  Skype is about to pull in 2 billion in revenue. Surely there's some profit there.
- sbuk 13y ago
  I'm pretty sure Skype was strategic. Lync as a unified communications platform is all the more interesting because of it.