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Technical executives have an innate concept of what is and what isn't possible. This allows them to better evaluate proposals for new features, refactoring syst
by rpedela 13y ago
Technical executives have an innate concept of what is and what isn't possible. This allows them to better evaluate proposals for new features, refactoring systems, etc. This is one reason why I believe Microsoft succeeded under Bill Gates. Due to its size, Microsoft still made a lot of money under Steve Ballmer, who is non-technical, but it definitely lost its place as a technology leader. We will see if the new CEO, who is technical, will change that.
- dkokelley 13y agoFrom Ballmer's Wikipedia entry: "In 1973, he attended college prep and engineering classes at Lawrence Technological University and graduated from Detroit Country Day School, a private college preparatory school in Beverly Hills, Michigan, with a perfect score of 800 on the mathematical section of the SAT... In 1977, he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with an A.B. in applied mathematics and economics... He scored highly in the prestigious William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, an exam sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America, scoring higher than Bill Gates." I'm not sure if he coded, but Ballmer definitely has a mathematical/technical background. I'm not sure technical background is necessarily an indicator of success as an executive.
- rpedela 13y agoI really meant engineer when I said technical. Engineers are both technical and are required to think in practical rather than abstract terms. Is that an indicator of success for an executive in general? It depends on the job and the company. But if you are the CEO of a company that produces technology, they yes I think it matters. Executives need other skills too.