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Ballmer Speaks on His Solo Act

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the but-does-he-do-the-monkey-dance dept.

Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "In his first one-on-one interview since Bill Gates's retirement announcement, Steve Ballmer tells the Wall Street Journal he is bullish on Microsoft's investments in online services, and he dismisses as 'random malarkey' the idea that Microsoft is having trouble hiring and keeping the kind of brilliant employees that have always been the company's competitive weapon. Here's Ballmer on Gates's departure: 'As co-leaders of the business, I could allow Bill to be the full-time champion of innovation. And [now] with me really being the guy who's here every day running the place, I must be the champion of innovation.' And on competing with Google: 'We're going to compete. We're going to be in the online business. We are going to have a core around online. We're going to be excellent. That, I would tell people, to count on...'"

10 of 196 comments (clear)

  1. "We're going to be excellent..." by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 5, Funny

    Apparently this is as close to admission that they're not presently excellent as we can hope for.

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    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
    1. Re:"We're going to be excellent..." by SpecTheIntro · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ugh, the stream of bullshit coming out of Ballmer's mouth just makes my head spin. I don't understand why every chief officer in a tech company thinks they have to admit absolutely no fault and use meaningless business speech? Listen to some of the crap Balmer says:

      I must be the champion of innovation. That doesn't mean I must be the guy who comes up with every innovation, but I really have to carry the mantle that says we're going to innovate, we're going to do new things, we're going to get into new areas, we're going to protect and nurture all kinds of innovation. That is my role.
      This is not a one-trick pony. We are multicapable, multicore.
      The best thing we can do for our shareholders is to be willing to be open-minded to possibilities.

      They can't be open-minded, no, they have to be willing to be open-minded. What the hell? And what the hell does being multicapable mean? It's all a bunch of fluff talk, intended to make people think Microsoft is "dynamic," and that they're "expanding into key new markets." Just call it like it is, man. Microsoft hasn't done anything really impressive, on the software front, for five years. Your stock has flat-lined. It's ok to admit that you've got serious work to do. Instead he wants to tout how amazing Microsoft is, or how cutting-edge and forward-thinking their staff is. Just give it a rest. The PR machine really makes me sick.

  2. How very disappointing! by jkrise · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought he spoke about His Solo Monkey Dance Act!

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    If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
  3. Spelling error by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 5, Funny

    I must be the champion of innovation

    Isn't that spelt

    I must wait for someone to do something clever and then rip it off

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    Summation 2
  4. "The Lone Ballmer" - Tour 2006 by sharkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Lone Ballmer toure plans to play 30 venues in 90 days, with 3 nights at each. It will feature such classics as "Developers, Devolpers" along with new hits such as "I'm Gonna Fucking Kill $FOO", a scale model of Stonehenge built from office chairs and Ballmer himself dressed in Andre the Giant's classic leotard.

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    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  5. yeeeeaaaaaaarrrrggghhhh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We're going to compete. We're going to be in the online business. We are going to have a core around online. We're going to be excellent.

    (howard dean voice) YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHH

  6. Rather scary... by jejones · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Steve Ballmer, from TFA: "When did China get great? China didn't get great under Mao Zedong. China got great under -- in the recent years -- probably got great under Deng Xiaoping."

    I'm skating on the edge of Godwin, but... it's kind of scary when the head of an organization such as Microsoft cites a totalitarian government as an example of greatness.

  7. I'm no anti-microsoftie, but... by Chabil+Ha' · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I would be a bit worried about Microsoft now that Bill is leaving. I would be worried that a 'geek' has left the innovation chair and is now being turned over to a businessman. That's pretty dangerous, not because he *is* a businessman, but because he is no technological visonary, ie. Steve Jobs.

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    We're all hypocrites. We all have hidden parts, it's the contrast between them that make us more a hypocrite than others
  8. Damage Control By Gates by cbuckner · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Am I the only one that thinks Bill Gates is getting out of the business before Google embarrasses them so that He can blame the company's failure on Ballmer? Think about it. Under Bill Gates Microsoft is a multi-national; multi-billion dollar business. Under Ballmer they get pummeled by Google and Mozilla. Thus, Gates preserves his image as a brilliant mind and doesn't expose himself for being nothing more than a lucky, opportunistic, proprietor hack.

  9. Ballmer sums up why MicroSoft is in decline... by aschoeff · · Score: 5, Funny

    'And [now] with me really being the guy who's here every day running the place, I must be the champion of innovation.'

    QED