• steve ballmer

    Microsoft: "We are done with Yahoo"

    Microsoft's chair-hurling 800-pound gorilla slammed the door on talk of a renewed Yahoo acquisition deal at today's shareholder meeting in Bellevue, Washington. "We are done with all acquisition deals with Yahoo ... We did our best. We've moved on." In business, this often means: We'll be back. For now, though, Ballmer said he'd rather cut a deal to serve Live Search results to Yahoo users — as a vendor, not an owner. Why can he speak with such confidence? Because he's already snapped up Yahoo's key search engineers.

    12:20 PM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Paul Boutin
    2,092 views, 10 comments

    Most discussed mew: Microsoft no longer needs to buy Yahoo!. Ballmer probably knew that their original offer would be rejected. By more »

  • stocks

    Why founders win

    Silicon Valley entrepreneurs like to talk about their hopes of "changing the world." Yes, of course: Changing the world from one in which they are poor to one in which they are fabulously wealthy. The question in the air is whether the founders of companies do a better job at creating wealth, for themselves and their investors, than professional managers. With Yahoo announcing Jerry Yang's plans to step down as CEO, it would seem like a losing time for founders. But Yang is an exceptional case; he took his hands off the steering wheel when Yahoo had a mere five employees, and never really ran anything until he stepped in as CEO last June. Most founders of successful startups eagerly seize power, and have to be forcibly dislodged from the driver's seat. The best never let go. Just take a long-term look at the stock market, and you'll see why. More »

    Feature

    11:20 AM on Tue Nov 18 2008
    By Owen Thomas
    3,128 views, 13 comments

    Most discussed TinaTyndareus: There's something to be said about being in the right place at the right time. No such thing as luck. more »

  • quotable

    What Steve Ballmer really said about Yahoo

    Kara Swisher calls Steve Ballmer's tendency to run at the mouth "executive Tourette syndrome." Funny because it's true! Microsoft's CEO sent Yahoo's stock soaring yesterday with comments that were widely reported as suggesting renewed interest in buying the company. We'll skip Swisher's blah-blah-blah analysis and let you judge for yourself exactly what Ballmer said: More »

    1:20 PM on Fri Oct 17 2008
    By Owen Thomas
    4,024 views, 5 comments

    Latest by MichellePhyleus: Well, now google runs from yahoo, who will be the next player? more »

  • microsoft

    Oh, I dunno, maybe we might buy Yahoo after all, or not

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, after he and his underlings spent months saying they'd moved on from the notion of buying Yahoo, says that a deal still makes "economic sense." Yahoo's stock leapt 17 percent, though it wasn't clear from his remarks, made at a Gartner conference in Florida, whether he was talking about a search partnership or a full acquisition. Either way, Ballmer: Make up your frickin' mind. There are 3,500 Yahoos who are about to lose their jobs, not to mention that cushy post-Microsoft severance package Jerry Yang ginned up. Oh, wait, there's more! More »

    10:40 AM on Thu Oct 16 2008
    By Owen Thomas
    3,189 views, 3 comments

    Latest by pleinad: This is what I read from Fools: Nice one, Ballmer. Market mavens fell right into your trap. They think you're serious. more »

  • microsoft

    Microsoft looking to avoid Instant On

    An Engadget tipster took snapshots of a Microsoft survey that popped up on his Vista screen. The survey probes the customer's interest in an "Instant On scenario," in which the customer would sacrifice some applications or features in exchange for an eight-second boot time and much, much longer battery life. Aftermarket products like SplashTop already exist. Dell will ship you an instant-on laptop right now. So why doesn't Microsoft just buy SplashTop? More »

    1:20 PM on Wed Oct 15 2008
    By Paul Boutin
    619 views, 4 comments

    Most discussed CaliforniaCajun: Gee, this "instant on" feature sounds very much like what happens when I open the lid of my Mac Book more »

  • software as a disservice

    Ballmer confirms "Windows Cloud" operating system

    Windows Cloud, outlined briefly by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at a conference in London this morning, is a separate project from Windows 7, the successor to Vista. Ballmer didn't say much, claiming he didn't want to spoil the official announcement. But he made it clear that sorry, no, Microsoft won't be moving to a fully browser-based version of its Office applications. Rather, Windows Cloud will let road warriors do what Ballmer called "light editing" at, say, a public Internet workstation or kiosk. Ballmer dubbed the concept "software plus services," as opposed to a full software-as-a-service product. Sounds like the plan is to do just enough to keep Office customers from switching to Google Docs. (Photo by AFP/Artyom Korotayev)

    11:20 AM on Wed Oct 1 2008
    By Paul Boutin
    652 views, 5 comments

    Latest by gkanapathy: It would be more cloudful if, instead of a stripped-down client, Windows Cloud were a server optimized for EC2. Seeing more »

  • microsoft

    Steve Ballmer and ex-sidekick get lowball bonuses

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his online services lieutenant Kevin Johnson couldn't finish the Yahoo merger negotiations they started on January 31. Microsoft's annual filings reveal the pair will pay for their failure with their bonuses. Johnson, who left the company in July, was promised a bonus between 97 percent and 100 percent of his salary and will earn only 97 percent. Ballmer, who was promised a bonus between 100 percent and 200 percent of his salary, earned a 109 percent bonus. Oh, to be a mediocre CEO and failed strategist at Microsoft: Though it's down a bit from last year, Johnson still earned $6.8 million in total compensation. Ballmer pulled a total of of $1.35 million on the year and still owns billions worth of Microsoft stock. (Photo by AP/Sarbach)

    2:20 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    331 views, Comment

  • earnings

    Ballmer flips, admits Microsoft will take a hit

    "Financial issues are going to affect both business spending and consumer spending, and particularly ... spending by the financial services industry," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told reporters at a news conference in Oslo earlier today. That's a reversal from his claim last week that tech sector worriers were probably watching too much CNBC. On the last day of the sales quarter, the always-bouncy Ballmer was refreshingly blunt: "Whatever happens economically will certainly effect itself on Microsoft." (Photo by AP/Erlend Aas)

    1:20 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
    By Paul Boutin
    363 views, 1 comment

    Latest by macbeach: "Whatever happens economically will certainly effect itself on Microsoft." This is the first I knew that English was not his native more »

  • lists

    BusinessWeek scrapes Techmeme for its latest list

    Loic Le Meur! Gabe Rivera! Joi Ito! Don't feel bad if you've never heard of them. BusinessWeek.com's latest 25 Most Influential People on the Web is a mashup of billionaire powerbrokers with a randomized handful of those folks you run into at that same little tech conference that happens under a different name every month. I'm guessing they left out TechCrunch's Michael Arrington to create buzz. If you don't want to click through 27 pageviews on BusinessWeek's site, here's the entire list in alphabetical order: More »

    9:00 PM on Mon Sep 29 2008
    By Paul Boutin
    7,776 views, 7 comments

    Latest by newtonke: I think it is much more the people 'behind' those people you should watch. If your a gagbillionairre, or your more »

  • microsoft

    Bouncy Steve Ballmer sees "buoyancy" in tech

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told a meeting of Silicon Valley civic leaders yesterday that despite Wall Street's woes, the tech sector continues to thrive. "Our industry is not immune to what goes on in the global economy. And yet as I travel, given the current circumstances, people still see a certain buoyancy in the market," Ballmer said. Microsoft doesn't report its quarterly earnings until next week. More »

    8:40 AM on Fri Sep 26 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    269 views, 1 comment

    Latest by michaellamb: I work in IT and while clients are being a bit cautious, they're not cutting back. IT already got hammered more »