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Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

uk.reuters.com

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Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#101

Post by ladzoppelin »

chongli wrote: post #96
gawker wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company is still afloat and still profitable - he's doing a much better job than quite a few CEOs out there.

Microsoft is losing the new operating system war in a big, BIG way. Just because the boat is still afloat doesn't mean it's not rotting below the water line.

I would not be so sure about that. I know a lot of people who like Windows 8 and others eager to get a Windows 8 tablet Pro(Intel). The one OS across different devices could turn out to be a powerful choice.

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#102

Post by PeterisP »

mseebach wrote: post #62
rbanffy wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> He is the second largest shareholder. His college buddy is the largest. Being a college buddy of one of the founders hardly qualifies someone to run a multibillion dollar company.

It also doesn't disqualify someone. At the end of the day, it's the shareholders decision.

Well, if majority shareholders put in a crony that hurts the company as a whole but benefits those few shareholders personally (as could be argued to maybe be the Ballmer case) - then that is currently illegal and can be attacked in court by any minority shareholder.

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#103

Post by PeterisP »

meaty wrote: post #30
bhousel wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Steve Ballmer does not have an MBA.

I should have made the more generic point "MBA types" (high business, executives etc). Not specifically MBAs.

The vast majority of MBA's are not executives, but work in either mid-management or finance-specialist jobs (accounting, audit, financing, etc).

Are you sure that MBA-typical people are really what you call "MBA types" ? In mass media you'd be seeing only a small, very nonrepresentative, very biased sample of them.

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#104

Post by OGinparadise »

f055 wrote: post #6

Ballmer probably knows it's his last executive position he'll ever get in this industry. So he's squeezing as much out of it as he can. Or he's just a fanboy of the "old Microsoft."

Ballmer probably knows it's his last executive position he'll ever get in this industry. So he's squeezing as much out of it as he can.

You think he fears the high price of COBRA insurance maybe http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/2011/03/11/steve-ballmer... ? Virtually any type of a job after MSFT, unless he was passionate about it (NBA team President for example) would be seen as a downgrade. Love them or hate them ...MS is minting cash and will continue to do so for a long time http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Microsoft_%28MSFT%29/Data/Gro...

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#105

Post by PeterisP »

ryanmolden wrote: post #75
blisterpeanuts wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MBA programs attract borderline personalities? That's a new one. In reality, the MBA provides managers with a framework to conduct business in a methodical manner. It gives them a process to use, so that their personalities don't have to be such a large factor. I've never done an MBA but I know many who have; it's mostly case studies and common sense. If you ONLY have an MBA and no other particular expertise, then ye…

People that rank on the Hare scale of psycopathy are over-represented (relative to prevalence in broader society) in corporate C-suites, controlling for age, gender, race, etc...[0] I am not sure what the representation of MBAs is in the C-suite but I assume it is also fairly high. I do not believe the book examines the representation amongst MBAs specifically, though. [0] http://www.amazon.com/Snakes-Suits-When-Psyc…

There are several orders of magnitude less people in C-suite positions than in MBA programs. If most needles are found in haystacks, it doesn't mean that haystacks consist mostly of needles.

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#106

Post by jlgreco »

rlu wrote: post #92
stormen wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft has lost; there's no getting back the head start they once had. It's not like Windows 8 is going to set the record straight and grow Microsoft to 10x the size of Apple and Google combined, like it once was. In part, this is because of their utterly flawed understanding of internet and the way humans (not businesses) work. Steve Ballmer is a joke of a CEO; a loud, screaming monkey that thought the iPhone was…

Your comment seems pretty short sighted though, don't you think?

I think that it is only in the long term that Balmers mediocrity becomes clear. Short term analysis turns up that he really likes "DEVELOPERS!" and throwing chairs, but all the real criticisms (not amusing anecdotes) that I am seeing span several years.

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#107

Post by gawker »

chongli wrote: post #96
gawker wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company is still afloat and still profitable - he's doing a much better job than quite a few CEOs out there.

Microsoft is losing the new operating system war in a big, BIG way. Just because the boat is still afloat doesn't mean it's not rotting below the water line.

Sure but they have their R&D arm and they easily have enough cash to acquire upcoming companies. Granted of course, they will need to be smart enough to spin money out of those things but they aren't in a dreadful position like Kodak was.

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#108

Post by sswezey »

hkmurakami wrote: post #98
stormen wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft has lost; there's no getting back the head start they once had. It's not like Windows 8 is going to set the record straight and grow Microsoft to 10x the size of Apple and Google combined, like it once was. In part, this is because of their utterly flawed understanding of internet and the way humans (not businesses) work. Steve Ballmer is a joke of a CEO; a loud, screaming monkey that thought the iPhone was…

>Microsoft has lost; there's no getting back the head start they once had. Couldn't we have said the same thing when Apple lost to the IBM PC when they didn't "get" business computing? (the debacle that was the Apple III - a supposed "business" machine)

Yes, and Apple had to completely reinvent itself to get to the point where it is now. Apple then and Apple now are two very different companies.

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#109

Post by zachinglis »

InclinedPlane wrote: post #99
codingthebeach wrote: post #74

MS revenues have grown by 45 billion dollars under Ballmer ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ballmer ). Without Ballmer .NET would not have existed and the XBox would not exist as it exists today. I have no great love for the guy but I've yet to read a convincing argument for his ouster. Just priggish former executives badmouthing the company that lifted them into the 1%.

Up until 2008 Bill Gates was running MS. From 2008 to today, the period of time when Ballmer was in charge and on his own, MS's revenue has grown by only 17%, adjusted for inflation. That's only 4% a year.

Let's not forget their market share has dropped. A company is measured by it's today, and it's tomorrow.

Re: Former Microsoft executive says Ballmer culls internal rivals to retain power

#110

Post by zachinglis »

SkyMarshal wrote: post #100
jmspring wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Web strategy? Like media? Does a technology company need to have a content/media component -- which Yahoo basically is. Azure is a decent extension to the MS development ecosystem. Xbox and Xbox Live seem to be doing well -- I don't use either. Bing, while not Google, has it's fans. Where MSFT was late to the game is in their approach to the post-PC era. WinCE/WinMo were "ok" at the time, then the iPhone came along.…

I've been thinking for a while that Microsoft may have carved out a niche of letting others do the innovation, and then copying them and improving on it, not unlike Japanese companies. Windows Phone/Mobile, Surface, Xbox, Search Engine, and Azure are all effectively this model. Hackers place a high value on innovation, but continuously increasing revenues with this 'embrace and extend' + kaizen model seems to work fo…

This is the definition of creating. Bringing other ideas together, and making them better.

Apple are exactly the same too. The stuff I love the most has come from elsewhere.

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