Posted on 06/04/2008 9:01:59 PM PDT by HAL9000
One of the most successful business partnerships in history was coming unraveled. It was early 2000, and Bill Gates had relinquished the chief executive's job at Microsoft Corp. to Steve Ballmer -- for the first time taking a back seat to his college pal and right-hand man of 20 years.Mr. Ballmer got the title. But Mr. Gates retained the power, triggering a yearlong struggle between the two men that until now has remained largely under wraps.
Things became so bitter that, on one occasion, Mr. Gates stormed out of a meeting in a huff after a shouting match in which Mr. Ballmer jumped to the defense of several colleagues, according to an individual present at the time. After the exchange, Mr. Ballmer seemed "remorseful," the person said.
The conflict between the two men paralyzed business-strategy decisions that the company still wrestles with today. Board members stepped in to try to mediate a truce.
~ snip ~
(Excerpt) Read more at moneyweb.co.za ...
I was hoping that Ballmer would throw a chair at Gates.
The lasting impact of this info was clearly evident when Gates and Balmer appeared together to announce Microsoft’s decision to not pursue its offer. Balmer is a hireling who overstepped his bounds and bungled the deal, Gates is at the press conference to restore confidence in Microsoft after Balmer’s bumbled attemt to devour Yahoo...which only points out how stupid both of them are. Gates for not directing Balmer how to do a big deal...and Balmer for thinking that just because he can write his own personal check for billions somehow makes him a serious wheeler-dealer. What a joke!
I sold out a year ago....after it went up past 31 and down thru 27 for the unteenth time. Got out at 29.51....and have never looked back. My initial investment was in 1987 so it was a great ride.
MSFT is over....way over until, maybe, new leadership can revive it...but CPR on that big a giant is a real task.
I never understood this thinking:
>>> ...Mr. Gates’s role of technology visionary inside the company.
A marketing and business genius and a tough tough street-fighter, yes. But tech guru or innovator? Nope.
Remember when Apple was at 17/share? Man oh man do I wish I had bought a ton of it.
I think MSFT could come back also - at some point.
“A marketing and business genius and a tough tough street-fighter, yes. But tech guru or innovator? Nope.”
Exactly. At the “D” conference, Windows 7 preview was widely panned as yet another (what is now, a baker’s dozen?) pale copy of the Macintosh operating system.
Innovative, visionary, groundbreaking, trailblazing, etc., ad infinitum, should never appear in the same sentence with the word Microsoft or the names of Ballmer, Gates, and Paul Allen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.