CEO Steve Ballmer's exit not as 'planned' or 'smooth' as suggested by Microsoft

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Though a statement by Microsoft suggested the forthcoming retirement of Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has been in consideration for some time, a new report says the reality is Ballmer did not intend to leave the company so soon.

ms


The announcement of Ballmer's retirement last week was "neither planned nor as smooth as portrayed," sources indicated to Kara Swisher of AllThingsD. Ballmer was said to be excited in recent weeks over a company-wide restructuring, but in meetings after the announcement of his retirement, he became "uncharacteristically chastened and quiet."

Said to be a critical factor in the decision is the likelihood that activist investor ValueAct could obtain a seat on Microsoft's board. ValueAct has called for a number of changes at the company, including the ouster of Ballmer.

In addition, Microsoft's outgoing CEO is said to have lost the kind of steadfast support he had historically received from former CEO Bill Gates. While Gates didn't "instigate" Ballmer's retirement, he wasn't as much of an advocate as he had been in the past, one source suggested.

Ballmer shocked the tech world last Friday when he announced he would end his 13-year reign over Microsoft. The CEO plans to retire within the next 12 months, once his successor has been chosen.

Microsoft has been routinely criticized for failing to adapt to changes in the tech sector while under the watch of Ballmer. In particular, Microsoft's previously strong stake in smartphones was taken by Apple's iPhone and devices running Google Android, while PC sales have been significantly affected by Apple's iPad.

In an effort to counter the successes seen by Apple in recent years, Ballmer announced a major realignment of Microsoft in July. The sweeping company-wide restructuring plan is focused on positioning Microsoft has a devices and services company, which Ballmer said at the time would enable it to "innovate with greater speed, efficiency and capability."

Whoever replaces Ballmer will inherit a company under the "One Microsoft" realignment that views the company's product lineup "holistically, not as a set of islands." Ballmer said that the new Microsoft structure will allow "a more coherent message and family of product offerings."

Microsoft's shakeup is the latest major restructuring to hit the tech industry. Google announced its own organization changes in March splitting up the company's mapping and commerce unit, while iOS chief Scott Forstall was ousted from Apple late last year, placing lead designer Jony Ive in charge of the company's mobile operating system.
«134567

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 133
    Sinofsky?
  • Reply 2 of 133
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Ballmer has been routinely criticized for failing to adapt to changes in the tech sector while under the watch of Ballmer...


     


    Ballmer watching Ballmer... now that is frightening.


     


    Sorry to see him go, a colourful and for Apple, successful, era bites the dust.

  • Reply 3 of 133
    _rick_v__rick_v_ Posts: 142member
    News of his retirement is so disappointing... Ballmer's tenure has been very good for Apple. :-)
  • Reply 4 of 133
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member


    Well duh! Does anybody think he was NOT pushed out?

  • Reply 5 of 133
    Ballmer is worth like 15 billion. So please don't shed any tears for this guy.
  • Reply 6 of 133


    Ballmer as good as admitted he'd been pushed when he said in an interview: 'My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our company's transformation to a devices and services company.' http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/23/microsoft-steve-ballmer-retire-sucessor-search

  • Reply 7 of 133
    jasonxjasonx Posts: 17member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by maccherry View Post



    Ballmer is worth like 15 billion. So please don't shed any tears for this guy.


    Yeah, seriously!  I was just about to say the same thing.  "Awww, his feelings are hurt.  Poor guy."  Whatever.

  • Reply 9 of 133
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member


    Eventually, the captain of a sinking ship gets thrown overboard.  He will be fine in retirement unlike hundreds of thousands of windows users.

     

  • Reply 10 of 133
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member


    I'm more worried about the potential for ValueAct to have a seat on Microsoft's board. Investment firms (this is a joke, they don't invest in anything except themselves) have no business being on any company's board of directors. They don't know anything about the company other than how to manipulate the stock to make their investors money. I worry about this because of Apple, not Microsoft. The last thing I want to see is a bunch of criminals like Fidelity sitting on Apple's board or even Ichan. 

  • Reply 11 of 133


    He will still received a paycheck from MS for the rest of his life.

  • Reply 12 of 133


    Your article ends rather incorrectly. Ive is not in charge of iOS. Ive is in charge of design, hardware and software design. Federihgi is in charge of software engineering, OSX and iOS. So you could say they're both in charge of it.


     


    http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/

  • Reply 13 of 133
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Big mistake letting him stay a year. First rule .. when firing someone ask for their company car keys and have them escorted from the building .... :D
  • Reply 14 of 133

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post



    Big mistake letting him stay a year. First rule .. when firing someone ask for their company car keys and have them escorted from the building .... image




    They pulled out his phone and cut the network connections... and he can't leave his office while he's in the building.


     


    "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!"

  • Reply 15 of 133
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post





     


    Ballmer threw some chairs and the chairs came flying back!  You may 'love this company', but it seems the feeling isn't mutual...


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by rob53 View Post


    I'm more worried about the potential for ValueAct to have a seat on Microsoft's board. Investment firms (this is a joke, they don't invest in anything except themselves) have no business being on any company's board of directors. They don't know anything about the company other than how to manipulate the stock to make their investors money. I worry about this because of Apple, not Microsoft. The last thing I want to see is a bunch of criminals like Fidelity sitting on Apple's board or even Ichan. 


     


    ValuAct on MS Board of Directors, as opposed to say, Al Gore on Apple Board of Directors?  Bunch of criminals not knowing anything about the company, you got that right!


  • Reply 16 of 133
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member

    They pulled out his phone and cut the network connections... and he can't leave his office while he's in the building.

    "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!"

    LOL

    He could have some revengeful fun in the next year ... he should sell all his shares now, so he doesn't care, and secretly work with Apple to Xerox all Microsoft's secret, innovative ideas ... Oh wait a minute ...
  • Reply 17 of 133


    Wall Street just realized that Ballmer might be around for another year... MSFT is down 2%.

     

  • Reply 18 of 133
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    What CEO announces a major reorg and then a month later says he/she's retiring? Of course he was pushed out. Question is will the new CEO be forced to carry out his reorg plan? Will they only look for people who are 100% on board with that change? My guess is it will be external as I can't imagine any one of the four EVP engineers working for the other.
  • Reply 19 of 133
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    rogifan wrote: »
    What CEO announces a major reorg and then a month later says he/she's retiring? Of course he was pushed out. Question is will the new CEO be forced to carry out his reorg plan? Will they only look for people who are 100% on board with that change? My guess is it will be external as I can't imagine any one of the four EVP engineers working for the other.

    I wonder if there is even a remote possibility that Gates steps in as iCEO, he always loved copying Steve. :D
  • Reply 20 of 133

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post





    Ballmer shocked the tech world last Friday when he announced he would end his 13-year reign over Microsoft. 


    On which planet?

Sign In or Register to comment.