General Consultant Discussion

I'm probably the only one who was unmoved by this. The legacy of Ballmer? I'm not so sure. Got trounced in tablets, mobile and search. And I think trounced is a very kind word to describe what happened. Microsoft with their billions and huge monopoly in desktop was really never able to invent another hit. Yes they stayed wildly profitable -- in the way your electric utility company is profitable. But mobile technically should have been theirs. Tablets too. Microsoft is exceptionally lucky that enterprise companies are so slow to move off Microsoft Office. Hopefully for Microsoft's sake most companies don't move off the platform because I'm not sure there is a second act for Microsoft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdnEByl7sOQ

I agree, but I also can't help the feeling that in 5 to 10 years we'll be saying the same thing about Apple and Google. It happened to HP & IBM. Seems every 'star' tech company eventually falls from grace

Oh, and Blackberry also

Yes everyone gets a turn. If you look at Google as an example of a company who is executing well you cannot help but be impressed by what they did with Android. This is a company that strategically saw that there would be a need in the market and went out and created the demand virtually from scratch (admittedly buying the OS but Google did a lot of building it up). Perhaps the issue becomes that once a company gets too big -- like Microsoft -- it becomes difficult or impossible to maneuver into new territory.

Once a company stops innovating, they start dying.

Very well said @RobertWood

there is a LinkedIn discussion in the HBR group on this: ""If a company is successful, it is due to the effort of everyone, but if it fails, is it because of failure of a Leader?"" While the HBR thread isn't about Ballmer, it is pretty relevant. There are supporters of Ballmer who can make a good case that he was more successful than popular press allows. There is something to that thinking. BUT, the real question to define his success/failure is this: ""Is he leaving the company with a 10-yr strategy with which most analysts are comfortable?

Would Ballmer have said a tearful farewell if he was perceived as going out on the top and on his own accord?

I doubt it. He doesn't want to leave. For the record, my answer to my question is, ""no.

The way the stock jumped when he announced his retirement was a tad different than the way Apple tanked when they announced Job's illness

@RobertWood - ""Once a company stops innovating, they start dying"" What insightful wisdom!!! Have your relayed this to Pascal?????

Maybe I should tweet it. Pascal follows me.

Ballmer has no vision. Never has. He sounded like he had a vision in his early years because he cribbed notes from Bill but the more time that passed from Bill's departure, the clearer it was that he was leading Microsoft around in circles in the desert. What is Microsoft's purpose? I don't any one outside the company can tell you clearly and I would even go as far as saying it's unlikely that many inside Microsoft can tell you clearly. His legacy is evident in the befuddled mess that he is leaving behind.

Peter, good thought. Ballmer raises so many interesting questions about firm development, management and leadership. I'm a 2-degree of separation from him, as he attended Stanford Bus School the year before I started. He went only the 1st year, so I knew people in the class ahead of me who knew him. He won the consulting scholarships from both Bain and BCG, so clearly very smart. No doubt he like to win -- a lot. If I understand the dynamic between him and Gates, he was the chief salesman and organizational enforcer. So, a very smart guy who manages to a goal pretty well. But clearly he lacked strong ""leadership."" Part of leadership is a talent to getting followers to see a bigger picture than just making your quarter. The ""vision thing"" is missing from too many businesses today; it is more than a strategic goal. Jobs infused it with his emphasis on great products that you can identify with. I think Bezos at Amazon has it. Interesting to see what happens to a company that had it, loses it, and then faces competition that has it.