"retire"
It sounds better than "spending time with family" I suppose. He is almost 60.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
21–30 of 784 posts
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#22Wow, this is going to be the best thing for MSFT stock (and probably the company) in the past 10 years. I'm excited about having a real force to counterbalance Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon again. This, and the other company response to it, might be good for +0.05% GDP growth or something crazy like that.
Already up about $2.70 (8%) in pre-market trading. Looking to be very good.
What a fabulous present to all of us employees whose stock vests on 8/31!
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#23He'll be remembered as a terrible CEO. Ballmer took over as CEO in 2000. In the 13 years since then, Apple has experienced an unprecedented resurgence. Google and Facebook have gone from being obscure startups to giants. The tech industry went through the bubble, recovered, and today is stronger than ever.
What happened to Microsoft? While the rest of the tech sector exploded and prospered, it stayed still. A MSFT share was worth about $35 dollars when Ballmer took over; it's worth about $35 now. The world moved on, and Microsoft didn't move with it.
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#24From Vista to Surface RT, was it? I am just glad. A much needed change for Microsoft.
The recent "strategy memo" really should have been the last straw, where "creating shareholder value" was their mission.
Indeed. His reign over the past 10 years not only resulted in not much progress for microsoft but also hampered its reputation. Would be really interesting to see how the new management takes over and brings about some real changes.
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#25Microsoft isn't going in the opposite direction that it should be going on. Instead of integrating more, it needs to make more software for Android and iOS. If it weren't tying everything into Windows all the time Office and other Microsoft software would be dominating App Store and Google Play, ensuring its success for the next generation.
Instead it's tying everything back into Windows and Windows phone. Those things should stand on their own feet. Microsoft can create great versions of its software for all platforms, but instead it handicaps itself to no great effect. Limiting Office to just its own platform hasn't really made much of an impact.
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#26If you think about it, what does the "within 12 months" part even mean? Like, if the deadline hits, they'll just take whoever they can get?
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#27Now the question is, whoever will be next at the helm, will he / she be able to reverse directions and steer Microsoft into more relevant and fruitful territories. Ballmer's Microsoft was always late to the party, overseeing important technology trends and society transformations out of, I'd call it a mix of ignorance and arrogance; maybe they were also too blended by their previous successes. The way he dismissed iP…
Once upon a time, "late to the party" aka "fast following" was their strategy, and it served them very well.
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#28[deleted]
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#29He'll be remembered as a terrible CEO. Ballmer took over as CEO in 2000. In the 13 years since then, Apple has experienced an unprecedented resurgence. Google and Facebook have gone from being obscure startups to giants. The tech industry went through the bubble, recovered, and today is stronger than ever. What happened to Microsoft? While the rest of the tech sector exploded and prospered, it stayed still. A MSFT sh…
Ballmer has always lacked the ability to see the future. Be it about him calling Zune the iPhone killer, or much prior to that claiming it in the media that no one would ever wan tto buy an iPhone. Also, really below par products.
Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months
#30He'll be remembered as a terrible CEO. Ballmer took over as CEO in 2000. In the 13 years since then, Apple has experienced an unprecedented resurgence. Google and Facebook have gone from being obscure startups to giants. The tech industry went through the bubble, recovered, and today is stronger than ever. What happened to Microsoft? While the rest of the tech sector exploded and prospered, it stayed still. A MSFT sh…
No, I don't think he'll be seen worse than the CEOs of AOL Time Warner, Enron, Worldcom, or Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, but sure you go on with your hyperbole. It's turning into a staple on HN. Really raising the bar there.
Edit: parent comment used to say "worst CEO of modern history"