Microsoftie's tell-all on 'rival-flinging' Ballmer: The politics of disbelief A former Microsoft executive has sketched an unflattering portrait of Steve Ballmer that depicts him as a cut-throat Machiavellian schemer, and claimed in his new book that the top man at Redmond has forced out rivals who challenged his authority. Joachim Kempin, a former head of Microsoft's OEM business, claims chief …
Oddly, I agree with Gavin pretty much 100%. "Outsiders" don't seem to last long at MS and Kempin wants to sell a book. Ballmer's weaknesses have historically been backing losers rather than Machiavellian plotting. If Sinofsky hadn't bailed (and nobody except he and the MS board really know why), this book would have sunk without a trace due to lack of media interest.
As it is, he'll probably sell a copy to Eadon (it can go on his "erotic fantasy" shelf) but that's about it.
If he left because MS' corporate culture was not to his liking (as implied in the article) then that does rather beg the question as far as his alleged role as a "trojan horse" at Nokia is concerned, hmm? Perhaps we might even focus (when the issue comes up) on evaluating his decisions at Nokia on their own merits/demerits rather than the tin foil hat speculation that a certain number here are so fond of.
What you appear to be saying is that because he has taken decisions that you don't agree with then that proves he is Redmond's trojan horse? I do not know where to begin to explain the fallacy in the logic of that argument. Apart from anything else it is based on an assumption that the man is a villain because he does not share your opinions. You must be an absolute joy to be down the pub with if you are of the view that anyone who disagrees with you must be doing it for the worst possible motives.
Well considering they are all working for the planets largest secret satanic cults, they are all probably guilty of crimes they could be imprisoned for. Two devils fighting over the scraps. The company needs to be exposed, sued, dismantled and most of its evil employees who have been been aware of this activity should have their day in front of a firing squad. Greed does strange things to you humans. You all could be living in paradise and instead you choice to drive in circles letting these corporate monsters destroy anything positive about this planet and its people.
...under Ballmer's uber-incompetent "leadership", a mandatory read:
How Microsoft Lost Its Mojo: Steve Ballmer and Corporate America's Most Spectacular Decline
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/2012/08/microsoft-lost-mojo-steve-ballmer#1
It's all there, it's OBVIOUS that it is IMPOSSIBLE to fix MSFT while Ballmer and his ilks are still running it - BALLMER ET AL MUST GO ASAP, period.
I got involved in the Microsoft corporate business ecosystem in the early 2000's timeframe. I don't know whether Beluzzo and Ray Ozzie are direct casualties of the executive culture. But I know with full certainty that the cultural trend in the last decade has mushroomed and is now in a state where even PMs don't speak up for fear of saying the wrong thing and risking their career paths. Innovation has ground to a nearly complete halt because no one is willing to compromise their review score (and promotion, raise, and bonus...see also the Vanity Fair article) because they volunteered an idea management didn't like. That's really how it is culturally.
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