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Steve Ballmer Blew Up At the Microsoft Board Before Retiring
mrspoonsi writes with this excerpt from Business Insider on Steve Ballmer's final months as Microsoft CEO: "Ballmer decided to announce his retirement a few years before anyone expected him to. It all came to a head in one board meeting with Ballmer in June 2013. According to Businessweek, Ballmer got into a shouting match with Microsoft's board when directors said they didn't want to buy Nokia and start making smartphones. Ballmer told the board last June that if he didn't get what he wanted, he wouldn't be CEO any more. Businessweek said Ballmer's shouts could be heard in the hall outside the conference room. In the end, the board compromised with Ballmer. Ballmer wanted to buy both Nokia's handset business and its mapping platform called HERE. Instead, Microsoft ended up buying just the handset business for $7.2 billion and licensed HERE maps from Nokia."
Ballmer seems to be regretting not getting into hardware sooner (although given that not making hardware propelled them to success in the 90s...)
Anonymous Coward?
I'm not signing anything
He wasn't really mad.
Damnit. :P
His amazing salesmanship skills:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
At the end of that, I feel myself pulling my wallet out and going "NO, IT CAN'T BE JUST $99, let me pay more!"
So Microsoft avoids buying a failed phone co and Balmmer rage quits. What's the downside? It's like killing two turds with one flush!
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
I'm sorry... is there a better word to describe this self-absorbed troll?
Consistent.
Fat.
Shall I go on? :-)
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
... I will quit and you will be forced to hire A MORE COMPETENT CEO!
That is right. I will QUIT because I failed to make revenue off WIndows 8 mobile due to things that were all my fault! DON'T Make ME make your job easier now by having me LEAVE?
Board of directors: (... a look of shock. Then grins with each other. ) Oh Balmer. NO!! You may not. Take your anger out.
Balmer: Throws a chair. I QUIT!!
Board of directors: (... in a lame semi sarcastic tone). Oh no Balmer. What a shame. Soo sorry it had to come to this.
http://saveie6.com/
I'm glad that the angry idiot is leaving the house.
Shut up, you poo poo head!
I think you're wrong there. I think Carly Fiorina _is_ smart enough to run a hot dog stand.
I've always speculated that when MSFT was nailed for monopoly behavior, the DOJ gave the MSFT BOD a choice; MSFT would be broken up or put Ballmer in charge.
Instead of breaking MSFT up, the DOJ figured having someone like Ballmer in charge would be punishment enough. And ultimately achieve something close to the intended results of a breakup.
By using this strategy, the gov't didn't appear as though it's trying to tell a big business how to operate, but MSFT's growth certainly was stunted thanks to Ballmer's decisions.
An effective "democracy" creates the illusion the people have a say in their government.