It's finally happening: Ballmer to retire as CEO of Microsoft

[hanselthecaretaker]

Interestingly, in his email to Microsoft staff, he said that his stepping down was in Microsoft's best interests. In other words, Steve isn't leaving to work on his herb garden and enjoy the life of a retired billionaire. He's leaving because Microsoft needs someone who can do a better job. Apparently, shareholders agree, as Microsoft shares are up more than 7 percent following the news that Microsoft is looking for a new chief. Who that will be is the question on everyone's lips.

Steve Ballmer to Retire as CEO of Microsoft

How Steve Ballmer Impacted the Xbox One - A brief history of the Xbox One

It's commendable that he realizes he wasn't doing a good job.

Now, perhaps the company will break new ground and end up better than ever.

 

[-SD-]

they should hire ashton kutcher

 

[Captain FT]

Ashton is CEO of Nikon already.

 

[redsamurai]

I had just read a newsfeed that he "retired". I figured they would at least make a good show that he was "retiring" on his own volition. But no I guess it's being made public that he was basically told to retire or else. The mismanagement of MS runs way deeper than Ballmer so this isn't going to turn around anytime soon. The entire mkting dept needs to be fired, no one in the history of business has ever so decisively flailed on understanding their consumers as MS has for the past couple years. Xbox 1 is pretty much DOA at this point and that is such an awe inspiring fuck around based on the fact the 360 won the previous war.

They just need to come up with their own shit instead of waiting for someone else to do well in a market than come crashing in and try to muscle them out. It doesn't work.

 

[bakemeacookie]

maybe fatty can now finally stop destroying that company and get himself a personal trainer. Not sure he can afford one - they're so expensive!

 

[dabuffguy]

maybe fatty can now finally stop destroying that company and get himself a personal trainer. Not sure he can afford one - they're so expensive!

Send him my way, I'll train him. $1000 per session. Guaranteed results.

 

[bakemeacookie]

Send him my way, I'll train him. $1000 per session. Guaranteed results.

funny. I was thiking about using LinkedIn InMail to email fat execs and offer them my personal training and weight loss coaching services. Provide FREE ebook pdf as well for them to read with tips. I konw they have the money to fly me over on a private jet if needed. We'll c.

 

[Mr. dB]

Microsoft stock shot up on the news.

 

[jnevin]

Send him my way, I'll train him. $1000 per session. Guaranteed results.

My ex was just training him at a fat camp in Park City. I guess they've been marketing to people with dollars and they're getting good shows. Since I loove talking to the cunt so much, I didn't bother to ask if he was a huge pussy.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I had just read a newsfeed that he "retired". I figured they would at least make a good show that he was "retiring" on his own volition. But no I guess it's being made public that he was basically told to retire or else. The mismanagement of MS runs way deeper than Ballmer so this isn't going to turn around anytime soon. The entire mkting dept needs to be fired, no one in the history of business has ever so decisively flailed on understanding their consumers as MS has for the past couple years. Xbox 1 is pretty much DOA at this point and that is such an awe inspiring fuck around based on the fact the 360 won the previous war.

They just need to come up with their own shit instead of waiting for someone else to do well in a market than come crashing in and try to muscle them out. It doesn't work.

The Wii technically won. It "appears" Xbox 360 won, again due to Microsoft marketing only counting NDP results.

PlayStation 3 Lifetime Sales Overtakes the Xbox 360 - VGChartz

The only good Xbox was the original. The 360 was probably even a bigger POS than XB1 will be, because it was rushed to market to gain marketshare. Sadly it worked, but not in the long run. The PS3 was 8 million behind at one point and still overtook 360, despite being $200 more for a good amount of time.

Microsoft thought they could continue the trend they started with Xbox 360 on to XBOne, which was to take advantage of their consumers as much as they could get away with. Maybe because they're losing their monopolistic grip on the PC market. It's ironic how much freedom Windows gives its userbase whereas Xbox 360 is full of restrictions to both developers and consumers.


This poll was made yesterday. I'd say it's Karma.

 

[redsamurai]

The Wii technically won. It "appears" Xbox 360 won, again due to Microsoft marketing only counting NDP results.

PlayStation 3 Lifetime Sales Overtakes the Xbox 360 - VGChartz

The only good Xbox was the original. The 360 was probably even a bigger POS than XB1 will be, because it was rushed to market to gain marketshare. Sadly it worked, but not in the long run. The PS3 was 8 million behind at one point and still overtook 360, despite being $200 more for a good amount of time.

Microsoft thought they could continue the trend they started with Xbox 360 on to XBOne, which was to take advantage of their consumers as much as they could get away with. Maybe because they're losing their monopolistic grip on the PC market. It's ironic how much freedom Windows gives its userbase whereas Xbox 360 is full of restrictions to both developers and consumers.


This poll was made yesterday. I'd say it's Karma.

Sony will "again" be no different once MS is out of the mkt. Which they will be if the xb1 fails because they're stockholders have already been hinting to them they need to exit the console business. Console's are just plain dead, and when Sony turns around and does exactly this same shit because they feel they have consolidated the market..people will figure it out.

Would be a perfect time now for that fat fuck Newell to say something about his Linux box no?

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Sony will "again" be no different once MS is out of the mkt. Which they will be if the xb1 fails because they're stockholders have already been hinting to them they need to exit the console business. Console's are just plain dead, and when Sony turns around and does exactly this same shit because they feel they have consolidated the market..people will figure it out.

Would be a perfect time now for that fat fuck Newell to say something about his Linux box no?

People have been saying consoles will die off since the NES. Just more public ramblings as usual. People love to try and predict things, especially on the internet. Here's mine: PC's and consoles will be around as long as there is a market for each.


I'd love to see a Linux box too, but what makes you think that will be any different either? Valve are just as susceptible to the allure of greed and notoriety. They're proving it just by branching off like they've done this generation. It's just the nature of a market operating with fewer checks and balances than it needs.

 

[Captain FT]

Wait, who said consoles were dead? As a consumer, as far as I could tell, the PC gaming market was dead except for some FPS's and MMORPG's. the console market for the most part crushes the PC market so that's a load of shit.

 

[miplank]

you sound hella mad bro..

 

[-SD-]

I used to play xbox a hella lot

 

[Captain FT]

Ps4 is hella awesome.

 

[wootoom]

Ps4 is hella awesome.

How the fuck do you know?

 

[Captain FT]

Cause I'm from the future, fucking stunned cunt face.

 

[Captain FT]

Lololololololololol

 

[-SD-]

You got arms but Ballmer got spaghetti arms

 

[dabuffguy]

The next rob that says "hella" is getting mopped to shit for an entire week. I'm not even joking.

 

[miplank]

Ps4 is hella awesome.

i'm already on ps7..

 

[Captain FT]

Maybe he's resigning before the shit hits the fan with the UN hackage.

 

[kx250rider]

I hadn't heard he was retiring until I saw this post, and Googled it... I can almost guarantee he's not actually retiring, but just moving on to something more exciting in business before something crashes at MS. (Now I have to find out... Phone call to be made shortly ) . I've been to his place in WA, and it's unbelievable. You have to use a small plane or helicopter to get there. Totally isolated.

No wise cracks.. I'm not doing business with him or anything... Mutual friends with his son.

Charles

 

[jackangel]

indirect baller alert.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Kind of on topic-

 

[kx250rider]

According to his son Sam, it's a bunch of publicity, and there was an agreement in place since 1990-something which suggests how his MS holdings are to be handled. Just as I thought, "retirement" is just word, and it's all about accounting and taxation ;-) .

Just for the record, the Ballmers are as down-to-earth as you can imagine. They have a big estate in WA, but other places including a single-wide mobile home which they actually do stay in sometimes. Sam works while in school at USC, and he had to put funds aside to buy a pair of Converse last year. And the family has morals despite being among the wealthiest. THAT is discipline!!!!

It's unfortunate that many wealthy people have a bad rep for dishonesty and snobbiness. There is another billionaire in the oil investing field, who is constantly failing to pay royalties due oil rights owners, and who in stead keeps buying vintage war planes for his collection. (Name withheld). He's an example of why the "rich" are scorned so much. What I wish people knew, is that they're not all like that. In fact, I know of a case just this July, in which someone heard that a friend was selling his family home due to bad economic circumstances, and was willing to move his family and 93-year-old father-in-law to a small apartment in order to do "the right thing" and not get a lawyer to cheat the bank out of the mortgage balance, or whatever people are doing lately. The "someone" who heard about this, wrote a check for $358,000 and paid off the house for the person. No tax benefits, not guarantee it would ever be repaid. Why did they do that? Because the homeowner was preparing to "do the right thing", and thus a generous hand was extended "because it was the right thing to do".

People like the Ballmers and other ultra-wealthy names, should be judged fairly by their character, and not pre-judged by their bank balance. Let me just say that anyone who wants to be in a very comfortable financial position, will NEVER get there, no matter how much they make, if they scorn those who are already there. Fact.

*I think Sam may be a visitor or even a member here on EF, and the only reason I mentioned the name Sam, is that it's open information on the internet. There are other sons whose names aren't very public.

Charles

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I wouldn't doubt he could be a great guy personally, but from a business perspective he probably wasn't the best choice to run the largest software company in the world. He was Gates's buddy, which must have also helped. I think their stock went up nearly 7% after he made the announcement.

Considering most of what I know about Mr. Ballmer's character is how he chose to run the company, that's about the only part of it I'm able to judge. I was going to write a long, detailed reply but suffice to say that many consumers and investors, even a number of business partners seem to have ended up feeling alienated, betrayed, and generally taken advantage of by Microsoft over the last few years; perhaps more so in the console industry than any other. The departure of Don Mattrick shortly after Microsoft's E3 showing this year was the first big sign of a public relations fiasco that had reached a tipping point. No matter how they've carried out business in various sectors, or their motives for doing so, it hasn't turned out very well.

Whatever the case, maybe some good will come of it all and put Microsoft on a path towards redemption.

 

[kx250rider]

I wouldn't doubt he could be a great guy personally, but from a business perspective he probably wasn't the best choice to run the largest software company in the world. He was Gates's buddy, which must have also helped. I think their stock went up nearly 7% after he made the announcement.

Considering most of what I know about Mr. Ballmer's character is how he chose to run the company, that's about the only part of it I'm able to judge. I was going to write a long, detailed reply but suffice to say that many consumers and investors, even a number of business partners seem to have ended up feeling alienated, betrayed, and generally taken advantage of by Microsoft over the last few years; perhaps more so in the console industry than any other. The departure of Don Mattrick shortly after Microsoft's E3 showing this year was the first big sign of a public relations fiasco that had reached a tipping point. No matter how they've carried out business in various sectors, or their motives for doing so, it hasn't turned out very well.

Whatever the case, maybe some good will come of it all and put Microsoft on a path towards redemption.

I think that's the case with a lot of people in the corporate world. Starting with David Sarnoff of RCA (one of the most successful presidents & CEOs in US history... But also a tyrant, a bigot and a untouchable murderer). Henry ford was also a bigot and a tyrant, and uber-successful with the Ford Motor Co. Nice guys probably just aren't up for playing hardball in the corporate world, I guess.

Charles

 

[EnderJE]

I think that's the case with a lot of people in the corporate world. Starting with David Sarnoff of RCA (one of the most successful presidents & CEOs in US history... But also a tyrant, a bigot and a untouchable murderer). Henry ford was also a bigot and a tyrant, and uber-successful with the Ford Motor Co. Nice guys probably just aren't up for playing hardball in the corporate world, I guess.

Charles

There's a good few articles about it...the sociopathic effect.

I'm not saying that people are jerks or anything like that. Rather, I say that they are focused on one thing (profit) and not other things.

 

[kx250rider]

Excuse the bump; I finally got the whole story, directly from Steve Ballmer on Thursday night at a USC dinner. What happened was that what I said above, is the reason. He is "too nice" and after the other powers-that-be with MS discussed plans for the future, they basically said he'd have to be a little more aggressive than he had been. In other words, they said he has to be somebody he isn't, if he is going to stay. So the choices were to get a dream retirement plan, stay and not be true to himself, or stay and go against the plan and eventually get voted out.

He did not talk about it at all, and his family was completely as if under a gag order too, until the whole retirement plan was hammered out as it now has been. I normally don't deliberately bump old threads, but this one needed closure

Charles