Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will retire within the next 12 months, special committee begins...

[Guest]

Here is a novel idea
call it a menu button

it is so stupid to tell someone to click on the start button to stop there computer

 

[Guest]

The Kinect is a toy that was trying to emulate the Nintendo Wii controller. Nothing innovative or magical about that - they were trying to play catch-up to someone else.

Last I checked Kinect had sold more than 24 million units. While they were indeed "playing catch-up" the Kinect went on to expand in ways the Wii controller couldn't, including into applications in the medical field.

 

[spectrenad]

"The Kinect is a toy that was trying to emulate the Nintendo Wii controller. Nothing innovative or magical about that - they were trying to play catch-up to someone else.

Hate on the kinect if you want, it's an awesome party toy. It also be used on the PC. For example, you can use it to control the skeletoon of a ragdoll in Gmod. And it's simple. It's a gadget, but a well-made gadget. And it has applications outside of the gaming world too. For a 1st gen technology, I think it's great.

 

[Darth Shiv]

Couldn't happen soon enough. You really can't find a single MS success story during his tenure.

Really not one? The XBOX? The Kinect? Windows 7? All failures to you... wow. Also, how about Office? Still the most used word processor, RDBMS, Spreadsheet software in the world - not an easy feat to maintain when open source (free) and Apple solutions are nipping at your heels the whole time.

Despite the recent failures (which I blame for MS trying to get ahead of itself... touch screens on everything are the future, just not the now), Microsoft is still infinitely successful on several fronts. It's just their most visible fronts to the public not doing so well (phone, Windows), but their business solutions are far and above everyone else including Office, SharePoint, and SQL Server. These are areas Google and Apple can't even break ground into.

Most of which he inherited? I mean seriously if you inherit a product that already has 90% of the market share, a pass mark is to not f&%k it up.

 

[Jad Chaar]

He should have been gone a long time ago.

 

[captaincranky]

Everybody can see now the power of Start button

Yeah, it rhymes with, "retire".......

(Well sort of........ I must have been thinking of the "fire" button).

 

[Xclusiveitalian]

With the failures that are the Windows 8 and Xbox one, I understand him fleeing the sinking ship.

 

[captaincranky]

With the failures that are the Windows 8 and Xbox one, I understand him fleeing the sinking ship.

"Fleeing the sinking ship", really? Given Mr. Ballmer's recent string of "successes", this fly on the boardroom wall, thinks it's quite likely that he was given the option of retiring, in lieu of being fired.

...[p ]...Windows 7? I'll give you that....

I sincerely doubt that you could call Windows 7 an outright success, it was more of a corporate survival response to the enormous fail that was "Vista". Then the "douche who's name can not be spoken", undid it all with Windows 8.

 

[avoidz]

Well, we'll always have all those wonderful sweaty GIFs of the big ape. Times are changing...

 

[cliffordcooley]

Well, we'll always have all those wonderful sweaty GIFs of the big ape. Times are changing...

We need one with MS kicking him to the curb. lol

 

[Guest]

12 months? Can you make it sooner?

 

[jephthah]

I don't know much @his leadership but his retire but maybe a big blow

 

[TheBigFatClown]

I don't know much @his leadership but his retire but maybe a big blow

It actually makes the company look bad right after the second failed attempt to turn the catastrophe of Windows 8 into a success with Windows 8.1. That didn't happen so instead of trying to clean up the disaster Ballmer has decided to leave. I'm okay with that. If your not going to clean up the mess the right way just leave and let somebody else do it. Microsoft does a 180 on X-Box One claiming that they are listening to customers but only because they have realized that no one is too big too fail. The government can get away with that bullshit lie because they write the laws. Microsoft must not have realized they aren't politicians. They have to earn their money, unlike politicians who steal it.
Word to Microsoft. Time to ease your death grip on your "principles" and realize the customer is always right. Give the customer what they want, not what you "think" they want.

The next version of Windows theme song will either be "third time is the charm" or "three strikes and your out at the old ball game".

 

[captaincranky]

The executive will stay on board to help with the search for his successor. Microsoft will appoint a special committee for the task, which will include board lead independent director John W. Thompson and founder Bill Gates. The company has said it will consider both internal and external candidates.

You know you've really ****ed up, when they force you to stay so you can pick and train your successor, with a committee watching every step of the way . Does anybody feel as I do, that could be a bit humiliating?
It's often said that, "a camel is a horse made by a committee". With that in mind, should we start a pool to predict whether the next M$ CEO will have one hump, or two?

...[ ].... That didn't happen so instead of trying to clean up the disaster Ballmer has decided to leave. I'm okay with that. If your not going to clean up the mess the right way just leave and let somebody else do it.....[ ]....

I'm sort of mystified why everyone seems to patently accept the idea that Ballmer's "retirement" is entirely voluntary. It seems to me a lot more is likely going on in the M$ boardroom that they're willing to go public with.

I frankly don't think Ballmer CAN clean up his own mess. This whole Windows 8 debacle, strikes me as the work of an egomanical psychopath, who simply can't admit he's wrong.

The most comical part of this is, the ruling class at M$ probably has less ability to correct the situation than Ballmer himself. I doubt there's a bill Gates or Steve jobs "think a like" waiting in the wings.. Just a bunch of MBA corporate intrigue prone douches, gossiping and backstabbing without any idea or plan of which way to go after they get do rid of Ballmer.

Who was the genius they brought in a HP a while back, (I think HP) (as a replacement CEO), that summarily and single handedly decided that the company was getting out of the hardware business altogether? Yeah, that nut was gone in a few months..

Somewhere in our archives is a video (or still photo) of Ballmer running his mouth pitching a Surface Tablet.. I was the pure pink one. That junk would have looked more suitable in the hands of "Malibu Barbie"..... (wait for it)....... keyboard and lunchbox sold separately....

 

[jephthah]

True , if Steve and Bill thinks then, eb board have big job not t pick same class again
with that maybe microsoft can archieve big then what they have so far...