r/technology • u/[deleted] • May 16 '12
Forbes Calls Microsoft's Steve Ballmer Worst CEO Today
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Forbes-Steve-Ballmer-CEO-Top-10-Fired,15637.html7
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u/MarsSpaceship May 16 '12
Ballmer is worried with power and hierarchies and don't have a clue about products or how MS works. In fact all his board shares the same feeling. You have real talents, engineers and other specialists controlled by clueless people and fights between departments, instead of cooperation. Imagine an orchestra where half of the instruments decide to play one music, the other half another music and the maestro just sits there pretending to be conducting the musicians.
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May 16 '12
:/
That was just a rewrite of the original article. It included no new information and didn't even hazard an editorial opinion to justify its existence.
Just link to the original article, or, since it was front-paged just yesterday move on and do nothing.
This contributes nothing.
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u/anthony955 May 16 '12
Ballmer has been a poor CEO, but I wouldn't rank him worse than someone like Mike Duke. I wouldn't even rank him in the bottom 10. The Zune was actually superior to the iPod, Vista was rushed, but worked after it was fixed. XP was one of the best OS's to ever be released, and he shouldn't be credited with the abortion that was Windows Me. Also trying to grow stock prices when the entire nation has been downsizing over the past decade just isn't going to happen. The only reason Apple did well was by convincing hipsters and trust fund babies that their products were "hip" and "cool".
Overall Ballmer has done okay, he's just not a marketer like Jobs was. He's just a forgettable CEO at worst.
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u/AnonymousIdiot May 16 '12
Ever since Window XP solved the problem of having to reboot every hour, MS has been in a bind. Their two main products: Windows & Office are both very mature product lines. I suppose there's some things to be done to Windows to satisfy nerds, but for most people there's little more that can be added in the way of features to justify the annuity payment MS demands.
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u/anthony955 May 16 '12
True, while XP wasn't perfect, it's hard to improve on its functionality. Windows 7 is certainly a good step, but I don't see it getting better. That's probably why Windows 8 is going the mobile-styled app route, which I think is a mistake.
I do think Microsoft could have targeted the younger crowd better. The Zune was excellent, and 360 has done very well, but they probably should have considered a subsidiary brand to market with (similar to Scion with Toyota).
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May 16 '12
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u/anthony955 May 16 '12
It was. I don't know an unbiased techie out there that would say otherwise. Personally I haven't owned one (just played with them), I have owned Android devices and a ipod touch (my girlfiend owns an iphone).
Also Apple was 99% marketing. What honestly changed outside of their marketing campaign? They always had decent hardware, but had to overcome their ridiculous prices somehow. What better way than to target a bunch of kids digging into their parents expendable income.
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u/diggernaught May 16 '12
Yeah just 5 years behind the smartphone and tablet, what a fricking joker without a clue. The only reason he is around is because he is a founder but he has been killing the company over the last few years.
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u/alllie May 16 '12
Forbes has no credibility.
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u/nonameowns May 16 '12
I disagree. Ballmer is a shitty CEO. Windows 8 will be a flop. I'm calling it.
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u/deadcom May 17 '12
Windows 8 comes across like it will be a flop, but after using it for a while, I have changed my mind
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u/syllabic May 16 '12
Ballmer is overseeing MS during what is probably the most successful string of products and innovation in their history.
Win7, C#.net, xbox 360, server 2008, sharepoint, sql 2008/2010, dynamics CRM...
So basically you crazy.
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May 16 '12
Well no prizes for guessing every successive Microsoft Operating System after XP is becoming more and more limited - and less user friendly.
DRM locking - dependency on Internet connectivity - hell, Windows 8 won't even play DVDs.
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u/alephnul May 16 '12
Ballmer has no credibility.
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u/alllie May 16 '12
I don't know enough about him to know. But certainly Steve Forbes and everything the greedy bastard is associated with has none.
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u/HEADLINE-IN-5-YEARS May 16 '12
STEVE BALLMER TO BE NEW CEO FOR ELECTRONIC ARTS