Steve Ballmer Already Gave Execs His Retirement Date
Looks like the current CEO of Microsoft will be sticking around until at least 2018. Windows Windows WINDOWS!!!
It doesn't look like Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer plans to step down from his position any time soon. Why? Because he said so. Ballmer made his plans well known back in 2008, admitting during a public speech that he won't go into retirement until after his youngest kid sets sail for college. Little did anyone know that Ballmer already revealed his retirement plans to other Microsoft executives even before his public revelation.
Business Insider is calling "exclusive" on insider information that claims Ballmer informed other Microsoft execs of his retirement plans way back in 2008 -- just before his public speech -- during a company retreat. According to the source, Ballmer specifically said retirement wouldn't happen until around 2017 or 2018 after his youngest heads off to college. Until then, he wasn’t going anywhere.
Now three years later, Ballmer has weathered the storm of low sales that took place in 2008 and 2009, and let slide calls from investors to step down. He also still has Bill Gates by his side who coincidentally is the chairman of the board. Gates said he'll never ask Ballmer to leave, and even gives advice when Ballmer approaches with questions about executive appointments, evaluating good technical product leaders, acquisitions and more.
"This person is a fan of Ballmer, and says that his passion, integrity, and business sense are excellent ," Business Insider reports, referring to the unnamed source. "He really knows in detail the performance of every product group and sales team in the company, and his enthusiasm really is like that in private, too. But this person also worries that Ballmer lacks the vision to figure out which business areas to bet on for the long term."
So there you have it: Ballmer will likely stick around as Microsoft CEO until at least 2018. That means we'll have around six more years of flying fists and crazy, over-the-top antics to keep us both amused and informed until his eventual departure. Still, Microsoft without Ballmer would be like McDonald's without Ronald... it just wouldn't be the same.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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nebun considering what he has to work with he is doing very well.....Microsoft is still making money :)Reply -
COLGeek Good for Steve in that he can still capture the headlines with this "non-news". Execs say stuff like this all of the time and it is generally meaningless. Must be a slow day in the world of tech news (so far).Reply -
back_by_demand Nice to know retirement plans are based on his family, makes him seem more human somehow...Reply -
mobrocket 2018 hooray... i feel bad for whomever takes over then, cus they wont be inheriting the same company that ballmer got....Reply
but then again, i guess it better to follow after ballmer instead of gates -
cookoy Enthusiasm is one of the key ingredients for a great leader. It's inspiring to see a boss who puts in his 100% effort every time. But up to a point. Once a diligent group sees not much progress is being made with all their efforts, or worse, that their goals don't seem to make sense anymore, then you've got a problem. Overall i think SB is doing an excellent job. You win some, you lose some. What counts is at the end your winnings far exceed your losses.Reply -
teodoreh I like Ballmer - at least he's a real person, not a hypocrite hidden behind turtle necks and fancy presentations.Reply -
billybobser ledgend.Reply
Don't see how you can criticise the guy. If you don't like Microsoft, he's a bit of a nutter and will provide mild amusement, conversely if you're not blinded by what your company told you to think, he's enthusiastic and doesn't talk hyperbolic bullshit.
"Developers, Developers, Developers".
They are most important, unless you have other companies develop ideas, then patent them. -
"Nice to know retirement plans are based on his family, makes him seem more human somehow..."Reply
I don't know. Considering he doesn't want to retire until after his youngest heads to college, it sounds like he doesn't want to spend time with his family.
No, you're right, that does make him human.