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Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

danluu.com

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Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#451
post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's none of your business to ever tip anywhere UNLESS you explicitly want to thank somebody for their service. How hard is that to understand? It is the workplace's responsibility to pay their staff adequately. NOT YOURS. 0% tip all the way everywhere. No matter if I have $10 or $10k on the bill.

This is a pretty heartless reply. I will be downvoted for expressing my view here. > It is the workplace's responsibility to pay their staff adequately. NOT YOURS. Yeah, except that most of these (low income/low skill) service workers don't have the negotiation power to change this power dynamic. Thus, you, someone with enough means to eat out, can offset that gap, just a little bit, by tipping.

>Yeah, except that most of these (low income/low skill) service workers don't have the negotiation power to change this power dynamic

This has no bearing in reality. Most of these places can't staff their stores because no one will work for prevailing wages.

>Thus, you, someone with enough means to eat out

Oh yeah, the people grabbing coffee at Starbucks are all rich.

Raise your prices and pay your staff.

Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#452
post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's none of your business to ever tip anywhere UNLESS you explicitly want to thank somebody for their service. How hard is that to understand? It is the workplace's responsibility to pay their staff adequately. NOT YOURS. 0% tip all the way everywhere. No matter if I have $10 or $10k on the bill.

> It's none of your business to ever tip anywhere UNLESS you explicitly want to thank somebody for their service. How hard is that to understand? That's exactly the point? Buying iced tea everyday for some time means that he liked it. Not showing appreciation to something he clearly appreciates

>Not showing appreciation to something he clearly appreciates

He shows appreciation by showing up and buying tea every day.

How much do you tip Apple or Microsoft as appreciation for their software every time you show up to use it?

Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#453
post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except Steven Sinofsky, longtime head of the Windows division and one of the internal forces preventing Microsoft from going in alternate directions, was pushed out under Ballmer's tenure, not Nadella's. Granted, Ballmer made the mistake of putting Terry Myerson, who headed up the failed Windows Phone effort, in charge of Windows but that's another story.

I really wanted windows phone to be a success and am still sad it wasn't. I loved the interface. The native integration between my desktop/laptop and phone would have been great. Nowadays with so many apps being PWAs and built with nativescript or ionic, maybe windowsphone has a chance again? I have no idea tbh.

I didn’t like the UI at all. A lot of unnecessary animations. It felt like a forced departure from the iPhone standard, just so that it’s different.

Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#454
post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's none of your business to ever tip anywhere UNLESS you explicitly want to thank somebody for their service. How hard is that to understand? It is the workplace's responsibility to pay their staff adequately. NOT YOURS. 0% tip all the way everywhere. No matter if I have $10 or $10k on the bill.

There are lots of instances in which it is in fact your responsibility to pay the staff and if you choose to ignore that fact and stiff them that's on you

>There are lots of instances in which it is in fact your responsibility to pay the staff

Name one (let alone "lots").

Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#455

This article doesn’t understand what was fundamentally wrong with Ballmer’s leadership and what Nadella actually changed. The specific technologies that were successful is irrelevant. Microsoft has and continues to invest in nearly every computer related technology that may come around the corner or they got late on. The problem with Microsoft was everything went through Windows. The entire company was designed to pr…

> The problem with Microsoft was everything went through Windows. The entire company was designed to promote Windows.

...and nowadays Windows is designed to promote their cloud subscription services while local features get axed.

If Google is not allowed to link directly to Maps, there is no way Microsoft can be allowed to advertise their paid services everywhere in their OS.

Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#457
post #3

Wow, gotta love the recent MS fanfic. Ballmer was just an average sales jock along for the ride. Edit: Seems like I was proven wrong. Assumptions are... assumptions :).

>Ballmer was just an average sales jock along for the ride.

Classic "nerd" prejudice; Ballmer was not dumb.

Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#458

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone, chill Regardless of how you feel about tipping culture we're not talking about the average person nor are we talking about the average * experience* . The dude is worth north of $100bn, and is making nearly $10k per minute![0]. Someone who cannot spend his wealth. Someone who'd have to spend tens of millions of dollars every single day just to stop his wealth from growing. Someone who makes money faster tha…

Like you say, at his level of wealth, the actual dollars and cents become almost meaningless. Setting aside whether somebody in that position should be leaving a tip, how could you not want to? I would love to have the experience of just dropping a $1k tip to see what it's like. Maybe he did that once so never felt the need to again.

Or maybe he does tip generously, and maybe he does throw of dollars, but only does it to actual waiting staff? After all, that's the issue most people seem to have here.

It makes no sense to psychoanalyze a Ballmer's mind from this short episode.

Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#459

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's none of your business to ever tip anywhere UNLESS you explicitly want to thank somebody for their service. How hard is that to understand? That's exactly the point? Buying iced tea everyday for some time means that he liked it. Not showing appreciation to something he clearly appreciates

> Not showing appreciation to something he clearly appreciates He shows appreciation by showing up and buying tea every day. How much do you tip Apple or Microsoft as appreciation for their software every time you show up to use it?

Judging by the number of ads in Windows, maybe $1/day.

Re: Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

#460

This article doesn’t understand what was fundamentally wrong with Ballmer’s leadership and what Nadella actually changed. The specific technologies that were successful is irrelevant. Microsoft has and continues to invest in nearly every computer related technology that may come around the corner or they got late on. The problem with Microsoft was everything went through Windows. The entire company was designed to pr…

Well since Nadella I have been using less Microsoft products and probably won’t be using Windows anymore once my Windows 10 LTSC stops working. I keep hearing praise for Nadella but all he is doing is alienating a lot of customers with his terrible decisions.

This is true for me as well. I do have a VR gaming machine which I don't think will linuxify soon but I would if I could. Nadella has grown Microsoft no doubt. But in the process has trashed Windows. One of the most valuable pieces of software. I wouldn't be surprised this will bite them in the long run a lot.
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