Ex-CEO Steve Ballmer on why letting go of Microsoft was the best thing he ever did
Steve Ballmer
Former
Microsoft
CEO
Steve Ballmer
said emotionally detaching from the tech giant after stepping down in 2014 was the best decision he made, even though the process took nearly a year and almost led him to sell all his
company stock
.
Speaking on the "Acquired" podcast Monday,
Ballmer
revealed he was "too emotionally attached" to Microsoft after three decades with the company, including 14 years as CEO. He initially stayed heavily involved as an investor, reading everything and attending conferences, but realized he couldn't control operations anymore.
"It was my baby," said Ballmer, who replaced co-founder
Bill Gates
as CEO in 2000. "I was there so early, and I hired basically everybody."
Nearly sold everything to achieve emotional distance
The emotional attachment became so intense that Ballmer considered selling his entire Microsoft stake to achieve complete detachment. As he and his wife
Connie Snyder
ramped up their
philanthropy
work, he felt the need to distance himself further from the company.
"It was nothing to do with money," Ballmer explained. "My only thought process was
emotional detachment
."
However, a former Microsoft colleague in finance stopped him just before he could sell, telling him the stock would be worth much more. Ballmer decided his "loyalty trumps emotional attachment" and kept his shares.
Now Ballmer says he's found the right balance, remaining loyal to Microsoft while staying emotionally detached enough to avoid obsessing over stock performance. The approach has given him peace of mind as he focuses on philanthropy, knowing their foundation will thrive regardless of Microsoft's daily fluctuations.
Ballmer, famous for his energetic "Developers! Developers! Developers!" chant, admitted he was initially "kind of a dick" at
shareholder meetings
before learning to step back.
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