# Steve Ballmer: "Not the right CEO for Microsoft"



## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 23, 2013)

Very Interesting article I just read about Steve Ballmer. Apparently he uses tyrant like powers, and cuts people down if they appose him and his management style.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/22/us-microsoft-book-idUKBRE90L04320130122



> "Is he a great CEO? I don't think so. Microsoft's board is a lame duck board, has been forever. They hire people to help them administer the company, but not to lead the company. That's the problem," said Kempin.


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## erocker (Jan 23, 2013)

He don't care, he just got himself a basketball team. I kinda fail to see what this has to do with software though.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 23, 2013)

erocker said:


> He don't care, he just got himself a basketball team.



haha yes he did, well helped get one.

To your edit, didn't know where to put it since I cant post articles or anything. And its about Microsoft and Microsoft is a software giant. Welp.


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## qubit (Jan 23, 2013)

I doubt Ballmer's good for anything. The writing was on the wall for Microsoft when Gates stepped down.


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## Mathragh (Jan 23, 2013)

Am I the only one that thinks that if Ballmer really was such a nitwit, he would've long been replaced or that microsoft would've done far worse?

I mean, I can understand that many people dont like him, but (atleast as far as my knowledge goes) Microsoft isn't doing that bad? I mean they've got the most innovative products out(or in the pipeline) since a long time(whatever people might think of stuff like windows 8), and I dont think they ever adhered to so many open/widely used standards as they do at the moment(think IE10, and implementing stuff like caldev). 

Or am I missing something?


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## lemonadesoda (Jan 23, 2013)

Sometimes companies need aggressive people to cut through... but those kind of people aren't good long term for a company. And if there isnt a decent succession plan, then the company becomes a one-man survival thing, and a one-trick pony. Companies like MS and Apple and Facebook are very different from companies like Shell, Boeing, Intel. Which of those companies are more likely to survive a roadcrash of their CEO?

However, I don't advocate "democratic-inclusive-lovey-dovey" type leadership. That just encourages rot and politic.  It is a difficult balancing act. But at the end of the day, the CEO has to lead from the helm, just like a captain and his ship or his plane.  You can't have everyone having a go at the steering wheel.


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## Drone (Jan 23, 2013)

> Not the right CEO


What company today has the right CEO anyway 
They all use dirty tricks and they all are double-faced.


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## RejZoR (Jan 23, 2013)

I kinda miss Bill Gates. He was a very charismatic man with that kinda geeky look and always a bit shy.


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## Aquinus (Jan 23, 2013)

It is interesting to see what a difference in view is. Look at Bill for example, he had an idea for a company and a product and he hit the ground running. I suspect the "greed" factor has become stronger over the years and people become more interested in making money than producing a good product. Not to say that the two can't come hand in hand, but the wrong goal is being set and the CEO sets the tune for the entire company.


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## Tatty_One (Jan 23, 2013)

There are many styles of management and leadership..... authoritarian is just one and works very well in certain scenario's/situations.  Many senior leaders adapt their style to the situation so the style is not always a refelection of their character/personality.


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## Frick (Jan 23, 2013)

erocker said:


> He don't care, he just got himself a basketball team.



So?

And i very much agree with mathragh. MS is doing good.


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## lilhasselhoffer (Jan 23, 2013)

So, financial analysts from Forbes claims that it's time to sell MS stock (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121610-Forbes-Analyst-Calls-Game-Over-For-Microsoft).  They base this on 
1) Relatively poor windows 8 sales performance. 
2) XBOX division requiring cash infusions.
3) A large percentage (40 in the article) of users still 3 or more operating systems (XP) behind 

In the same week, an article comes out questioning whether MS leadership is steering the ship in the right direction.  


I have to ask, when does the US government chip in and "save" MS with a cash infusion?  They did it with the airlines, and the banks.  MS is obviously doing something stupid, but they're too big to fail right?

MS is experiencing actual competition, and they haven't evolved well.  They took the ballsy move of completely unifying UI over multiple devices, which didn't go over well.  They introduced the surface, about three years too late to compete with the Apple offerings and two years too late to compete with the much cheaper Android offerings.  It seems as though every step they make forward costs consumers more, and has a detrimental effect elsewhere.

There is some praise to be leveled in MS's direction.  They're doing a good job making the OS perform better with less resources.  They have done a good job incorporating more OS level security measures.  

I don't think the excellent back end (heaven help me, I'm quoting the Mailman) can make up for poor decisions on the front end.  The people who pushed for a unified UI (I remember Balmer being one, though I cannot vouch) and projects like the Kinect were completely ungrounded in this reality.  That kind of decision making should only be accepted once, not time and again, from someone with Balmer's responsibility.  I wish I could say that the articles about MS were coming from somewhere unfounded.  I also wish I had a winning lottery ticket.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jan 23, 2013)

Tatty_One said:


> There are many styles of management and leadership..... authoritarian is just one and works very well in certain scenario's/situations.  Many senior leaders adapt their style to the situation so the style is not always a refelection of their character/personality.



This. Ive seen a few over time. Depends on who you are dealing with you have to adapt. Sometimes you have to be a bully. Other times going with a humble approach works. Depends. Honestly if Steve Ballmer came flying into a room yelling at me I would just laugh at him. If he came in and asked me kindly to step it up a little I would do some serious OT to help out.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Jan 23, 2013)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Very Interesting article I just read about Steve Ballmer. Apparently he uses tyrant like powers, and cuts people down if they appose him and his management style.



lol sounds like Steve Jobs.


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## cadaveca (Jan 23, 2013)

lilhasselhoffer said:


> I have to ask, when does the US government chip in and "save" MS with a cash infusion? They did it with the airlines, and the banks. MS is obviously doing something stupid, but they're too big to fail right?



All that Microsoft could offer the gov is a bunch of Windows8 OS copies, which no sane IT manager woulk use, anyway.

M$ has cash to bleed, they don't need a cash infusion. What they need is new talent at the helm.


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## Frick (Jan 23, 2013)

lilhasselhoffer said:


> So, financial analysts from Forbes claims that it's time to sell MS stock (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121610-Forbes-Analyst-Calls-Game-Over-For-Microsoft).  They base this on
> 1) Relatively poor windows 8 sales performance.
> 2) XBOX division requiring cash infusions.
> 3) A large percentage (40 in the article) of users still 3 or more operating systems (XP) behind
> ...



I'm not sure I agree with that article. Windows 8 have, afaik, not done bad. It moved the same amount of Windows 7 licenses, and that was considered a decent thing. Are they troubled? Well yes they will face tough times, as will everyone else (except maybe Apple). And I don't think it's obvious they are doing something stupid.

Also I think it is a wee bit unfair to compare Surface tweets to iPad tweets. The iPad, and Android tablets, have been around for years now, the Surface RT (as the big one hasn't been released yet) have been around for a couple of months.



> Ballmer appears to have committed to fight to the death in his effort to defend & extend Windows.  So expect death as resources are poured into the unwinnable battle to convert users from iOS and Android.



The only reality this has in it is Windows Phone, which hasn't been a success worthy of Apple. But it isn't a total failure yet either. As for PC's.. Yes sales there are declining, but Windows is still a de facto standard in many environments and the PC is not dead yet. And this is why Ballmer is doing what he's doing I think: Redefining Windows. We have just seen the beginning.



> As resources are poured out of the company in the Quixotic effort to prolong Windows/Office, dividends should steadily diminish.



Isn't especially Office their cashcow? If so I don't see how trying to prolong that is a problem. If anything it's the "right" thing to do. But Office is changing too.



> Expect substantial layoffs over the next 3 years. They could even reach 50-60%, or more, of employees.



Will see. 50% is a lot. I don't believe it, but as said we'll see.



> The entertainment division could be spun off, sold to someone like Sony or possibly Barnes & Noble, or dramatically reduced in size. Unable to make a profit it will increasingly be seen as a distraction to the battle for saving Windows, and Microsoft leadership has long shown it doesn’t know how to profitably grow this business unit.



I don't know enough about this to comment, but couldn't this change when a new console is out and have matured? If they hold onto it that long that is.



> As more and more of the market shifts to competitive cloud infrastructure Apple, Amazon, Samsung and others will grow significantly.  Microsoft, losing its user base, will demonstrate its inability to build a new business in the cloud, mimicking its historical failures with Zune (mobile music) and Microsoft mobile phones.  Microsoft server and tool sales will suffer, creating a much more difficult profit environment for the sole remaining profitable division.



Moving to the cloud is exactly what MS is doing. Azure, integrated Skydrive, Office 365.. MS are changing, have changed quite a bit in the last couple of years. It feels like this was written in the mid 2000's.

Interesting article, but I think it's too much doom and gloom there.



cadaveca said:


> M$



Oh Dave no.. 

Using the term "M$" should result in an instaban. As well as iCrap or whathaveyou.


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## cadaveca (Jan 23, 2013)

Frick said:


> Oh Dave no..
> 
> Using the term "M$" should result in an instaban. As well as iCrap or whathaveyou.



I feel it is very to the point, myself. Microsoft is a business, which is about making money...by selling software. It seems to me, on a personal level, that they are now more about the money, than they are the software, and Ballmer is part of that.


I mean, OK, we got Windows8, clearly suited for tablets...and mainly surface...yet here it is on tonnes of OEM boxes and such...because it makes them money. And this is even though most businesses, which account for the majority of PC sales, still aren't interested in Windows7.

That's my opinion, and really, I'm not asking anyone to really agree with that...it's just how I feel. It's not making fun of anyone, or flame baiting, so it's not something that'd get anyone banned.

Unlike that religious thread, where everyone seems to think the reins have been let go.


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## lilhasselhoffer (Jan 23, 2013)

Frick said:


> Moving to the cloud is exactly what MS is doing. Azure, integrated Skydrive, Office 365.. MS are changing, have changed quite a bit in the last couple of years. It feels like this was written in the mid 2000's.
> 
> Interesting article, but I think it's too much doom and gloom there.



I would like to think that a person who is part of Forbes is wired to be overly cautious.  I never said I agreed with all of the author's points.  I think some are valid, but the tone and information presented were all designed to make MS look as bad as possible.

Actually addressing all of the points of that article would take another thread.  I brought it up in passing, but failed to elaborate.  This was an oversight on my part.





Frick said:


> Oh Dave no..
> 
> Using the term "M$" should result in an instaban. As well as iCrap or whathaveyou.



Why?  Microsoft is a business.  Successful businesses are about the money.  Ever consider that all that visceral hate for Walmart will never be enough to kill it, and it's precisely because they are untouchable on the business end.

I come from the school of thought that evil can create beauty just as easily as good.  





cadaveca said:


> All that Microsoft could offer the gov is a bunch of Windows8 OS copies, which no sane IT manager woulk use, anyway.
> 
> M$ has cash to bleed, they don't need a cash infusion. What they need is new talent at the helm.



Yeah....  I know the MS money castle runs deep.  I also know that banks have plenty of money and the airlines made insane profits for years.  Even the biggest businesses can be maimed and destroyed if they lack solid leadership.

I can't say that MS is anywhere near actually needing cash.  It'll be windows 9 at least before then.  





As a final point, consider that the most purchased application from the store is one that removes the new UI and replaces it with a more traditional one.  If failure of good intentions can be quantified in a more concise manner I can't think of it.


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## remixedcat (Jan 23, 2013)

I would have rather had Sinofsky leading MS. He had some great ideas and turned MS around. MS was stagnating.


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## Easy Rhino (Jan 23, 2013)

Hey look, a thread full of people who have never run a business slamming a man in charge of one of the most successful companies in the world...


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## hellrazor (Jan 23, 2013)

RejZoR said:


> I kinda miss Bill Gates. He was a very charismatic man with that kinda geeky look and always a bit shy.



I never thought I'd hear that, but now I agree with it. What has this world come to?


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 23, 2013)

Easy Rhino said:


> Hey look, a thread full of people who have never run a business slamming a man in charge of one of the most successful companies in the world...



Worthless post is worthless.............


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## Peter1986C (Jan 24, 2013)

Easy Rhino said:


> Hey look, a thread full of people who have never run a business slamming a man in charge of one of the most successful companies in the world...





MxPhenom 216 said:


> Worthless post is worthless.............



There seems merit in it though. Good point Easy, I did not think of that yet.

(I am not being sarcastic or so, I am meaning it)


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## Easy Rhino (Jan 24, 2013)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Worthless post is worthless.............



how is it worthless? balmer took over in 2000 and MSFT continued to thrive. we have a lot of armchair CEOs here who think they know enough to criticize a man running a multinational company.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 24, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> There seems merit in it though. Good point Easy, I did not think of that yet.
> 
> (I am not being sarcastic or so, I am meaning it)



Its the way he said it.


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## cadaveca (Jan 24, 2013)

Easy Rhino said:


> how is it worthless? balmer took over in 2000 and MSFT continued to thrive. we have a lot of armchair CEOs here who think they know enough to criticize a man running a multinational company.



Bill Gates had the sense to move on...

Ballmer has done a tonne of good, for sure, but running business isn't exactly as "mysterious" as you make it seem to be. It's just a matter of properly managing relationships and resources.

However, I do run my own company. At the same time, I have no idea how a tech company is run, since they place so many people at the helm, where I do construction and general labor, where there is often a very simple line of rank.


That said, Ballmer is old, and hopefully wise. He'll be using info provided to him by other to make the choices he does, along with his experience.

However, I think Windows8 says a lot about his focus, which, while a bit ahead of the curve, fails to miss the mark by nearly anyone's account. I am one of few people who thinks it's great.

And likewise, while many are judging here, so are you, so I find it rather quaint that you hold the opinion you do here. Nobody said their opinion was of any importance...


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 24, 2013)

cadaveca said:


> Bill Gates had the sense to move on...
> 
> Ballmer has done a tonne of good, for sure, but running business isn't exactly as "mysterious" as you make it seem to be. It's just a matter of properly managing relationships and resources.
> 
> ...



^^ This.


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## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jan 24, 2013)

[yt]8To-6VIJZRE[/YT]


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## Easy Rhino (Jan 24, 2013)

cadaveca said:


> And likewise, while many are judging here, so are you, so I find it rather quaint that you hold the opinion you do here. Nobody said their opinion was of any importance...



the difference is i am willing to praise a man who can lead a multinational company despite his flaws. most here just complain and like to belittle the greatness of others. it is a shame.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 24, 2013)

TacoTown said:


> [yt]8To-6VIJZRE[/YT]



oh my........now I understand what people mean by saying he is a sweaty pig.


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## remixedcat (Jan 24, 2013)

TacoTown said:


> [yt]8To-6VIJZRE[/YT]







































but:


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## Frick (Jan 24, 2013)

cadaveca said:


> I feel it is very to the point, myself. Microsoft is a business, which is about making money...by selling software. It seems to me, on a personal level, that they are now more about the money, than they are the software, and Ballmer is part of that.



When have they ever not been about the money? Which company is not about the money? You might as well call companies A$u$, A$rock, $am$ung, Appl€.


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## Peter1986C (Jan 24, 2013)

G1gab¥t€
H€wl€t Packard
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M$I

Looks like fun.

Al jests aside, Frick, you make a good point.


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## Drone (Jan 24, 2013)

Frick said:


> When have they ever not been about the money?



Linux Foundation, Blender Foundation and I'm sure some others too. Or maybe for people like you unpopular companies are no companies?


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## Peter1986C (Jan 24, 2013)

Foundations are not corporations, they differ fundamentally in several areas.


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## cadaveca (Jan 24, 2013)

Easy Rhino said:


> the difference is i am willing to praise a man who can lead a multinational company despite his flaws. most here just complain and like to belittle the greatness of others. it is a shame.



I dunno, I don't care what people have done in the past. I don't think anyone in ignoring what Ballmer has personally done for the industry...but if he starts shitting all over it, it's gonna stink no matter how much he pleads it doesn't.


Doing great in the past, only sets the bar higher, when it comes to my personal expectations. It's more, for me "Oh, you jumped 10 feet? Let's see 11."






Frick said:


> When have they ever not been about the money? Which company is not about the money? You might as well call companies A$u$, A$rock, $am$ung, Appl€.



When there are issues with those companies, I am just as critical. However, it seems to me that currently.. right now...Microsoft is better served by meeting people's needs, and investing in the _mindset_. But then, Windows8 is exactly that.


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## BrooksyX (Jan 24, 2013)

erocker said:


> He don't care, he just got himself a basketball team. I kinda fail to see what this has to do with software though.



Thank god too. I am currently living in the Portland, OR area but plan on moving back up to Seattle in the near future. Was living up there about 6-7 months ago.


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## Frick (Jan 24, 2013)

Drone said:


> Linux Foundation, Blender Foundation and I'm sure some others too. Or maybe for people like you unpopular companies are no companies?





Chevalr1c said:


> Foundations are not corporations, they differ fundamentally in several areas.



Aye aye. And I'm sure there are companies that does not do it for the money, but even they run on money. It's in the nature of everything.

Now I'm not saying greed as such is ok, because it isn't, but there's a difference between being outright evilly greedy and making a healthy profit.


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## Peter1986C (Jan 25, 2013)

_Pecunia non olet._

Although greed as such is indeed not okay, money is. Money was invented to make trading easier, nothing more.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 25, 2013)

I think people do the whole M$ thing because Microsoft is one of the most wealthiest corporations in the world. Atleast thats how I understand the "M$", not about Microsoft being *ABOUT* money.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 25, 2013)

This Video

The best of Steve Ballmer - YouTube

And this comment to that video:


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## Peter1986C (Jan 25, 2013)

That is not really Bill Gates, that account states that Canada is the nation of residence.


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## HammerON (Jan 25, 2013)

I would say that Steve B. has done okay:
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179282


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## ThunderStorm (Jan 26, 2013)

HammerON said:


> I would say that Steve B. has done okay:
> http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179282



I think so too but the thing is he's administering the company, but not leading it just as reuter said. Huang is a great CEO for NV though sometimes he's like a d-bag ( when HD 4879/HD 4850 came out and the brick called GTX 480 prototype ). He is the founder as well as someone who has intensive knowledge about company's product and vision, he is an engineer in the first place. Ergo, good ol' Bill would be my pick for an ideal Microsoft CEO, although the field is not crowded anyway.


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## remixedcat (Jan 27, 2013)

How is the CEO of Nvidia a DB???


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## TRWOV (Jan 27, 2013)

remixedcat said:


> How is the CEO of Nvidia a DB???



I guess he's referring to nVidia's wood screw debacle.


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## bmaverick (Jan 27, 2013)

Maybe a tyrant of sorts, but that could be the nail needed for people to jump from MS products to OpenOffice, Linux and other options. 

Just this past week, General Motors corporation announced that starting in 2013  (following the lead of many other companies industry) have moved from MS server OS to Linux.  Medial, Banking and Automotive have moved away from MS server OS due to costs and hacking attackers.


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