Much is being made of the transition of Bill Gates out of being the devil we all hate into being the philanthropist with the most to hit up when it comes to education and health. While this might be a good thing for the disadvantaged around the world it is leaving us who live in the Windows world of software in the hands of Steve “Baldy” Ballmer and that just might be the biggest downfall for the troubled company.
As MSFTExtrememakeover said on his blog:
Frankly, I’m starting to wonder if the CEO’s of MSFT competitors don’t wake up every morning, check the web, and say “He’s still CEO. Thank God!”. I have visions of Schmidt, Jobs, Benioff, Szulik, virtually every Web 2.0 CEO, and even Ellison and Palmisano, uttering a collective sigh of relief each a.m., happy in the knowledge that with Ballmer at the helm the MSFT pit bull of old - which Joe Wilcox says “mauled IBM, Lotus, Netscape, Novell, WordPerfect and so many other high-tech companies in the 1990s” - will remain a fat and slow moving Saint Bernard, inspiring about as much fear and respect as a yapping Chihauhau
Like with Bill Gates, I think also the time is well past where “Baldy” Ballmer should have picked up his gold watch and sailed into the sunset. Not that I think that Ray Ozzie as the Gates stand-in is anymore likely to transform Microsoft into anything even resembling an exciting on the edge company - far from it.
Microsoft is in bad need of a massive shakeout at the top most level and as much as some would hate the idea I think it would be better if Gates asked for resignations of everyone in the boardroom and the first level of managers while he sticks around for two more years and brings some serious new blood into the game. Hell I would even go to the point of suggesting Hugh MacLeod for the top post of leading Microsoft forward. At least he has imagination.
At that point Bill might have a legacy worth walking away from instead of the current situation of stagnation and Ballmer bullshit.
Listening to: Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome - The World Is My Oyster
Conversation Tags: Microsoft, Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Hugh MacLeod
5 Comments
Stop reading my mind, Steven.
I’d written: Is Microsoft Irrevocably Broken?
“Without significant change in leadership and focus, things are going to get a lot worse for the company before they get a lot better.”
I’d also said on MSFTextrememakeover:
“Microsoft needs a cultural and perception change. So long as Ballmer and Gates are the public faces of the company, I don’t think you ever get there.”
I read your comment on MSFTextrememakeover and you are very right in what you say. I have been saying for a very long time that Ballmer is Microsoft’s downfall.
As I type this comment on an ipod touch, I can only ask: when do we see the pirates of silicon valley sequel?
so … how does WinExtra look on an iPod[Touch]??
Looks fine! The only websites that look bad are ones that are extremely wide, use Flash, or use a lot of video - it can only see Quicktime ones.