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Steve Ballmer Reorganizing Microsoft

Nerval's Lobster writes "Microsoft's big reorganization has begun. Rumors had persisted for weeks that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was planning a massive, once-in-a-lifetime reorganization of the company he's been running for quite some time. Now the plan is out in the open, and things are going to change in huge ways. Microsoft will coalesce around 'a single strategy as one company,' CEO Steve Ballmer wrote in a really lengthy memo posted on Microsoft's Website, 'not a collection of division strategies.' The company's product portfolio — from Windows and Xbox to enterprise applications — will be regarded and operated upon in a holistic manner. Ballmer wants this 'one company' approach to extend how Microsoft handles its advertising, marketing and consumer-service operations. Ballmer also wants to knock down the walls that have slowly grown between Microsoft's various divisions, at least as far as engineering's concerned. The new 'engineering culture' will apparently facilitate collaboration 'across the company,' with an emphasis on cross-group contributions (and maintaining secrecy, of course, for the giant projects). Read on for much more on how Microsoft is reorganizing all its internal groups, as well as a rundown of who's in and who's out on the executive level."

27 of 387 comments (clear)

  1. Ballmer to start wears black turthnecks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    n/t

  2. Ignoring customers is not a winning strategy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Unless you are Apple.

    1. Re:Ignoring customers is not a winning strategy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Apple does not ignore customers; it leads them.

    2. Re:Ignoring customers is not a winning strategy. by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 1, Funny

      Like plantation owners led slaves.

    3. Re:Ignoring customers is not a winning strategy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      The way Apple does it only works for religions.

      And religions only work with morons. ... OK, I see your point. ;)

  3. Sounds like a plan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fantastic, because what I really need from Microsoft is more synergy between my office applications and the Xbox.

    1. Re:Sounds like a plan by zlives · · Score: 5, Funny

      you mean you are not happy with the xbox interface on your datacenter server

    2. Re:Sounds like a plan by ragefan · · Score: 5, Funny

      you mean you are not happy with the xbox interface on your datacenter server

      I know won't be happy until I can log in to my servers by flipping off my laptop's webcam and screaming: "BOOM! Headshot!!11!!!!"

    3. Re:Sounds like a plan by Taelron · · Score: 4, Funny

      I can see it now, Server Achievements 1 week uptime Achievement 10 Deployed Server Achievement 1 month without critical outage achievement

  4. Re:chair jokes by Chrisq · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Ballmer also wants to knock down the walls"

    Nah, too easy.

    I was going to say "Steve Ballmer Reorganizing Microsoft ... he's starting with the chairs"

  5. Well, this'll be amusing by bunhed · · Score: 3, Funny

    I distinctly hear the sound of swirling water

  6. Re:chair jokes by redneckmother · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Ballmer also wants to knock down the walls"

    Nah, too easy.

    Well, I don't know 'bout that. After all, if there are no walls, why do they need Windows?

  7. Re:Sooo.. when is Mr. Ballmer leaving? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    you mean c:\ cause

  8. Door Wide Open by Herkum01 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If this Dilbert cartoon does not hit the nail on the head, I don't know what does.

    1. Re:Door Wide Open by Curupira · · Score: 5, Funny

      Perhaps this one.

  9. I for one am glad by zlives · · Score: 5, Funny

    what SQL server needs is more tiles

    1. Re:I for one am glad by Cid+Highwind · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...and more marketing synergies with other exciting products and services in the Microsoft ecosystem!

      Boring, old T-SQL: "SELECT USER_ID FROM USERS..."
      New dialect coming in SQL Server 2014: "BING USER_ID FROM USERS..."

      --
      0 1 - just my two bits
  10. Re:Fixed that for you by chuckinator · · Score: 5, Funny

    Stories like this bring the phrase "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic" to mind.

  11. Re:chair jokes by Adriax · · Score: 4, Funny

    Brings forth the mental image of Ballmer looking critically while interns strain to hold up a couch, saying "Two inches to the left. Hrm, ok, now two inches to the right. Now another two inches to the left..." for an hour before having them set the couch back down exactly where it was.

    --
    I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
  12. Re:chair jokes by scottbomb · · Score: 5, Funny

    They've been quite busy destroying Windows so they will no longer be needed. Tearing down walls is just the next logical step.

  13. Re:Sooo.. when is Mr. Ballmer leaving? by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think they should outsource the CEO job. I hear Carly Fiorina is looking for a new challenge. :)

    --
    If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
  14. Re:Fixed that for you by 91degrees · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's a joke here about throwing deckchairs at the Titanic, somewhere. I just can't quite make it work.

  15. Re:Fixed that for you by mwvdlee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Except that when it comes to rearranging chairs, nobody is more efficient than Ballmer.

    --
    Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
  16. Re:Buh-bye, Microsoft! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I did something similar with McAfee for a friend when it decided that the best way to protect her from the dangers of the internet was to disable her networking stack.

    Well... you've gotta admit, it has a point there...

  17. Re:Fixed that for you by Almahtar · · Score: 4, Funny

    We all know Ballmer is quite the whiz with chairs.

  18. Re:Fixed that for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't feel bad. Ballmer can't quite make it work either.

  19. Re: Fixed that for you by macs4all · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dear Steve, Heard about the reorganization. Sounds great! Keep up the good work! It's visionaries like you that have made Microsoff what it is today. -Tim Cook