ON THE RECORD / MICROSOFT CORP. / Steve Ballmer — There are a few good tidbits in here making this well worth reading. And I see Ballmer can’t help but get in a few digs here and there.
Q: This is an old question, but it always comes up: What do you think of the “Don’t be evil” mantra as a corporate culture?
Ballmer: Who are we talking about?
Q: Google.
Ballmer: Do they follow it? (Laughs.)
Q: What do you think of that?
Ballmer: I don’t have any comment. I’ll ask you. I mean, it’s one thing to have a mantra and it’s another thing to follow it. Dude, you’ve got to ask yourself that question.
Q: Are you saying that they don’t?
Ballmer: I didn’t say anything. No comment about it. It is important for all companies to — we have a mission. We believe in empowering people and businesses around the world to realize their full potential. We have a set of core values that we believe in. I think many companies do have a mission. Many companies do have values. Many companies do have a mantra.
Sounds a little like Bart Simpson.
My favorite Ballmer quote, which provides so much insight to life and the universe, has to be:
“Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers” (I’m paraphrasing of course…not sure if I got all the “Developers” in there).
Says it all doesn’t it? Words to live by.
I think he looks more like the monster from Young Frankenstein, but Uncle Fester is a good stand-in too. 🙂
So much intelligence & passion (talk about a high adrenaline level) and so little insight.
Steve looks so much younger in this picture.
Off topic, but I bet many people didn’t know that Jackie Coogan that played Uncle Fester was, “The Kid”, of Charlie Chaplain fame. Ballmer is just your average self-aggrandizing corporate schmuck. He should quit and go into the who can build the bigger yacht game.
Here’s a mantra you’ll like: Think Different, then years along the way you start dumping your think different processors for intel like everybody else.
#5 – Yup!