Re: Thanks, I was trying to think of a suitable replacement
After ruining Nokia Elop will ruin MS completely.
Steve Ballmer is leaving identity crisis-hit Microsoft. The software maker's chief announced his intention to retire from MS within the next year. He said: "There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time." Whomever the new boss of Microsoft will be, he or she has a big job ahead of them …
Steve, hey, Bill here. Look, we both know you're not happy in this role. You've sat in the big chair for a while and I'm thinking now might be a good time to move on. You can write a book and I've got a donor facing position at the Foundation you can have if you want it.
Let's go ahead and make the announcement this week. I'll shoot you a list of potential candidates and you can start planning your transition gala. Ok? Ok.
'donor facing' means
"Contribute N millions (where N is a very large number) or we will make all your windows systems go <redacted>"
"S*d off Balmer"
Balmer picks up phone.
"Do it."
One hour later the CEO's phone starts ringing off the hook. All their systems have blue screened and can't be rebooted.
Companies will 'donate' lots in order to avoid this.
anon simply due to that fact that I have to use Win7 at work.
While the share value may have bounced, will there be enough left of the company to drag it away from the abyss?
With the recent impact (and reversals) of Windows8 on the PC side of things and the good old XBox180 on the console side (oops sorry, that should be XBoxOne), does MS have the will, skills and products to turn things around. The comments about Windows 9 ignore the reality that short of a Windows7 Megapack then you would be looking at a minimum of a year to put a new OS together and if it was just a tweak to Win7 how would that be a revenue source?
Almost every successful product line has been contaminated and many of them were 4th order iterations of something that was good and right where each iteration seemed to add more baggage and less function than the one before.
Will be interesting to see how many MS staff take advantage of the share price and do a runner.
This article from 2010 kinda points to the perfect time, about 3 years ago to be precise:
http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/05/30/ballmer-just-opened-the-second-envelope/
Apparently he opened the 2nd envelope twice...... he probably knew what was in the 3rd one already.
For as long as Steve Ballmer can remember, computer users have used personal computers are their primary computing device and these personal computers have been pre-loaded with Microsoft software. This has meant (in effect) an enforced monopoly for computer users and a guaranteed income for Microsoft. In addition, Microsoft prevented competition by rigourously enforcing their own proprietary 'standards'. Not for much longer. Many users do not have PCs any more - just phones and tablets. In addition, many of these devices are far more web centric and standards complient than any Microsoft based software. Personal Computers are not dead just yet (especially in business) but the percentage of users that cannot get their work done without Microsoft software has dropped significantly.
In my opinion, Steve Ballmer is an inherent part of the old world and has not adapted well to the current situation. Opportunities are out there to make money across the computing world. Make Office 365 work equally well on Windows PCs, Apple Macs, Linux PCs, iPads and Android Tablets perhaps even iPhones and Android phones and you are on to a winner. Provide services that people want and can interoperate with other vendors/open source software and people will trust you. Create devices (like the XBox One) that work well as a home hub and you will make a fortune.
Microsoft need to stop their anti-competitive practices and start working with other companies and increase their market share by creating products or services that people want - like in the good old days when Bill Gates was in charge.
There are different ways to leave the battlefield - in glory, in shame, through the neutral door or by doing a Nero trick and burning everything.
Stevo knew that glory isn't for him - and shame wasn't an option and neutrality has been closed by what we all know Win8 etc.
There it is: Nero trick! ;) Reorganize the corporation, shuffle everything so that it takes at least 2 years for bean counters to provide any reliable and reasonable metrics. Leave just after.
Pretty much: "look how nice it's burning"...