Latest news with #SteveBallmer
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
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. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Geek Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Steve Ballmer nearly dumped his Microsoft stock after leaving — here's why he decided to hold on
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at GeekWire's Microsoft@50 event in March. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer came close to selling his entire stake in the company around 2015 or 2016, after his departure, before two people on his team made the case to keep his stock. In hindsight, dumping his shares might have cost him tens of billions of dollars over the long run. But he seriously considered selling, out of a desire to emotionally detach from the company after he left Microsoft in 2014, Ballmer says in a new interview on the Acquired podcast. 'I went to one shareholder meeting, and I was kind of a dick, in my opinion,' he said, alluding to a 2015 meeting where Bloomberg News reported on his running commentary criticizing Microsoft's cloud disclosures and mobile strategy. 'I was too emotionally attached,' Ballmer told Acquired hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal. 'Took me about a year to say, I just have to emotionally detach.' But two members of his Ballmer Group philanthropy, both former Microsoft employees, helped to convince him to keep his stock, given its potential to increase in value. 'You can't sell. This is going to be worth a lot more,' he recalled one of them saying. Ultimately, he opted not to worry about the upside or downside. 'I'm just going to be loyal,' he decided. It was a wise decision, financially. Microsoft's stock soared over the following decade. Today, Ballmer is the company's largest individual shareholder, with his stake in Microsoft making up the bulk of his estimated $130 billion net worth. Ballmer remembered an event where Charlie Munger, the late longtime business partner of Warren Buffett, commented about his decision to hold his Microsoft shares while co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen had sold big portions of theirs. 'I know you're not that smart,' Munger told Ballmer. Ballmer's response: 'No, Charlie, but I'm loyal.' The nearly three-hour episode of the hit podcast — a follow-up to Acquired's two–part Microsoft series last year — covers topics such as Ballmer's missteps in mobile and search, his regrets about losing Microsoft's 'consumer muscle,' and his strategic disagreements with the board and Gates that ultimately contributed to his decision to leave the company. But the episode also details Ballmer's role in establishing the company's enterprise business, and fueling its move into the cloud — which, in turn, combined with the Bing search engine to provide the foundation for Microsoft's current push into artificial intelligence. Watch the full episode via YouTube or
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-CEO Steve Ballmer says letting go of Microsoft was the best thing he did after stepping down — even if it took a year
Steve Ballmer said letting go of Microsoft emotionally took a year but was the right move. He nearly sold all his Microsoft stocks to detach, but stayed loyal after a colleague's advice. Ballmer said he's now found balance — loyal, detached, and focused on philanthropy. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the best move he made after stepping down from the tech giant in 2014 was emotionally detaching from the company — though he admits it wasn't easy and took nearly a year to fully let go. In an interview on the "Acquired" podcast published Monday, Ballmer opened up about the emotional challenge of walking away from the company he helped build over three decades. "It was my baby," said Balmer, who replaced cofounder Bill Gates as CEO in 2000 and led the company until 2014. "I was there so early, and I hired basically everybody." Ballmer, known for his now-iconic, sweat-drenched "Developers! Developers! Developers!" chant at an early 2000s conference, said he initially tried to stay involved, not operationally but as an ultra-engaged investor. He said he read everything, attended conferences and even went to a shareholder meeting where, by his own account, he was "kind of a dick." "I was too emotionally attached," he said. "You can't control anything anymore, so it's hard. You don't want to stay quite that emotionally attached because it's like, 'Oh, I got to get back in and fix everything.'" Over the next year, Ballmer said he slowly worked on letting go. But his emotional attachment deepened when he and his wife, philanthropist Connie Snyder, began ramping up their philanthropy, eventually prompting him to consider selling all his Microsoft stocks. "It was nothing to do with money," he said. "My only thought process was emotional detachment." But just before he could hit the sell button, he said a former Microsoft colleague working with him in finance stopped him. "She said, 'You can't sell. This is going to be worth a lot more'," he said. "And I said, 'Look, my loyalty trumps my emotional attachment," and he held on to his stocks. Now, Ballmer said he's found balance. "I'm just going to be loyal and emotionally detached enough for this to be okay," he said. He said he no longer obsesses over the stock's highs or lows and has peace of mind knowing the foundation his wife and he built is thriving regardless. Read the original article on Business Insider Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Ex-CEO Steve Ballmer says letting go of Microsoft was the best thing he did after stepping down — even if it took a year
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the best move he made after stepping down from the tech giant in 2014 was emotionally detaching from the company — though he admits it wasn't easy and took nearly a year to fully let go. In an interview on the "Acquired" podcast published Monday, Ballmer opened up about the emotional challenge of walking away from the company he helped build over three decades. "It was my baby," said Balmer, who replaced cofounder Bill Gates as CEO in 2000 and led the company until 2014. "I was there so early, and I hired basically everybody." Ballmer, known for his now-iconic, sweat-drenched "Developers! Developers! Developers!" chant at an early 2000s conference, said he initially tried to stay involved, not operationally but as an ultra-engaged investor. He said he read everything, attended conferences and even went to a shareholder meeting where, by his own account, he was "kind of a dick." "I was too emotionally attached," he said. "You can't control anything anymore, so it's hard. You don't want to stay quite that emotionally attached because it's like, 'Oh, I got to get back in and fix everything.'" Over the next year, Ballmer said he slowly worked on letting go. But his emotional attachment deepened when he and his wife, philanthropist Connie Snyder, began ramping up their philanthropy, eventually prompting him to consider selling all his Microsoft stocks. "It was nothing to do with money," he said. "My only thought process was emotional detachment." But just before he could hit the sell button, he said a former Microsoft colleague working with him in finance stopped him. "She said, 'You can't sell. This is going to be worth a lot more'," he said. "And I said, 'Look, my loyalty trumps my emotional attachment," and he held on to his stocks. Now, Ballmer said he's found balance. "I'm just going to be loyal and emotionally detached enough for this to be okay," he said. He said he no longer obsesses over the stock's highs or lows and has peace of mind knowing the foundation his wife and he built is thriving regardless.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
When Microsoft former CEO Steve Ballmer got ‘frustrated' with Microsoft's culture and shouted….
Recalling his early days as Microsoft CEO , Steve Ballmer recently revealed that he shouted his now-iconic 'Developers! Developers! Developers!' chant out of frustration with the company's internal structure. Speaking on the 'Acquired' podcast, Ballmer said that the moment wasn't just for show, but a call-to-action to change Microsoft's internal mindset in the early 2000s. Ballmer recalled that during his early years as CEO, Microsoft teams were too focused on infrastructure like Windows, Windows Server, and ActiveX, while neglecting efforts to attract third-party developers. 'I was just frustrated with myself and my inability to get people out of, 'We're just a platform company,'' Ballmer said. In an effort to jolt the company into action, Ballmer took the stage at a Microsoft developer conference and repeatedly shouted the word 'developers.' The dramatic display, he explained, was a deliberate move to emphasize the importance of external developer support. 'I'm trying to tell people at that time that third parties really mattered, and you got different opinions inside Microsoft,' he stated. 'You have to be able to communicate that you really care about developers who are not your own,' Ballmer said. 'We just had to tell people, 'We want you, we want you, we want you.'' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Steve Ballmer believed third-party developers were key to Microsoft's growth At that time, Microsoft was facing growing pressure from rivals like IBM and Linux. The company needed to galvanize support for Windows and its emerging server products, including the then-nascent .NET framework. Ballmer believed third-party developers were key to Microsoft's survival and growth. The chant, he said, was part of his personal approach to leadership and communication"I have my own kind of wild style," Ballmer said. "How do you end a speech? You tell people you love them, that you want them. That's sort of the call to action," he added. iQoo Z10 Review: 7300mAh battery packed in a slim design AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
