steve ballmer | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 03 Dec 2015 12:24:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png steve ballmer | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Steve Ballmer calls Microsoft revenue numbers ‘bulls***’ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/steve-ballmer-calls-microsoft-revenue-numbers-bulls/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/steve-ballmer-calls-microsoft-revenue-numbers-bulls/#respond Thu, 03 Dec 2015 12:24:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=277076 Ex-CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer and still the company's biggest share-holder, has called the numbers Microsoft revealed as part of its recent annual shareholder meeting, “bulls***.” Although Microsoft released its run rate – extrapolating results from a single point throughout the year – Ballmer wants to see real revenue numbers, specifically with regards to the …

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Ex-CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer and still the company's biggest share-holder, has called the numbers Microsoft revealed as part of its recent annual shareholder meeting, “bulls***.” Although Microsoft released its run rate – extrapolating results from a single point throughout the year – Ballmer wants to see real revenue numbers, specifically with regards to the company's cloud computing division.

“It’s sort of a key metric — if they talk about it as key to the company, they should report it,” said Ballmer in a chat with Bloomberg.  The problem with reporting a run-rate he said, was that it overlooks to the margin issues experienced by different divisions. While Microsoft makes a killing with its software, hardware and cloud margins are much lower.

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Ballmer would rather Microsoft focus on developers, developers, developers, developers. Source: Wikimedia

Lumping their revenue in with the rest of the company doesn't tell shareholders much, which is why Ballmer is riled up. Unfortunately for him, despite owning shares in the company he's no longer an executive and can't make demands like he once could.

Microsoft's GM for investor relations Chris Shuh issued a statement, sating that Microsoft continued to enjoy “a regular dialogue with Steve [Ballmer] and welcomes his input and feedback, as we do from our other investors.”

Ballmer also criticised new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who brushed off concerns that Microsoft's Windows phone lacked certain important applications, stating that it would push instead for universal apps. Ballmer doesn't see it that way and would rather Microsoft enabled Android apps on its devices to make them much more functional.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: You could easily argue that Ballmer was the one that dropped the ball on mobile though, only putting cursory investment into it and coming to it much too late for Microsoft to be the major player it clearly wants to be. 

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Steve Ballmer steps down as board member at Microsoft https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/anton-shilov/steve-ballmer-steps-down-as-board-member-at-microsoft/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/anton-shilov/steve-ballmer-steps-down-as-board-member-at-microsoft/#respond Tue, 19 Aug 2014 22:58:07 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=207999 Steve Ballmer, a former chief executive officer of Microsoft who spent 34 years at the company in total, said that he will step down as a board member of the software giant. This will mark the end of his career at Microsoft and will eliminate any influence that Mr. Ballmer has had on the company. …

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Steve Ballmer, a former chief executive officer of Microsoft who spent 34 years at the company in total, said that he will step down as a board member of the software giant. This will mark the end of his career at Microsoft and will eliminate any influence that Mr. Ballmer has had on the company.

“Given my confidence and the multitude of new commitments I am taking on now, I think it would be impractical for me to continue to serve on the board, and it is best for me to move off,” said Mr. Ballmer in a statement. “The fall will be hectic between teaching a new class and the start of the NBA season so my departure from the board is effective immediately.”

Throughout his career at Microsoft Mr. Ballmer did a lot to make the company very successful. But while back in the past Steve Ballmer was clearly an effective and fruitful executive, in the recent years he failed to make Microsoft a strong company in the mobile-first, cloud-first world. Microsoft’s Windows Phone and Windows RT initiatives have not paid off and the Windows 8 operating system has received a lot of criticism from market observers. As a result, it is logical for Mr. Ballmer to leave all positions at Microsoft in order to avoid all potential tensions between his views and the views of the new management.

microsoft_steve_ballmer_1

Satya Nadella, the new chief executive officer of Microsoft, thanked Mr. Ballmer for his job and accepted his resignation.

“As you embark on your new journey, I am sure that you will bring the same boldness, passion and impact to your new endeavors that you brought to Microsoft, and we wish you incredible success,” said Mr. Nadella. “I also look forward to partnering with you as a shareholder.”

Mr. Ballmer will remain Microsoft’s largest individual shareholders for the foreseeable future, he indicated.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The resignation of Steve Ballmer was generally expected simply because it was clear that his vision about Microsoft is vastly different from the vision of Satya Nadella. What is a bit surprising is that he decided to step down from the board of directors just six months after he left the CEO office…

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Steve Ballmer is buying the LA Clippers for $2 billion https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/steve-ballmer-is-buying-the-la-clippers-for-2-billion/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/steve-ballmer-is-buying-the-la-clippers-for-2-billion/#respond Fri, 30 May 2014 07:32:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=195880 When Steve Ballmer's tenure as Microsoft CEO ended, it closed out a twenty year plus stint at the software giant. What do you do when you've spent over a decade as head of one of the world's biggest companies and over twenty years in total working there? You buy a professional basketball team apparently, for …

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When Steve Ballmer's tenure as Microsoft CEO ended, it closed out a twenty year plus stint at the software giant. What do you do when you've spent over a decade as head of one of the world's biggest companies and over twenty years in total working there? You buy a professional basketball team apparently, for $2 billion (£1.2 billion).

According to the BBC sources “familiar with negotiations,” Ballmer outbid several others in his buyout attempts, one of whom was reportedly Oprah Winfrey, but his bid was eventually accepted by the wife of current Clippers owner, Donald Sterling. Sterling was recently banned from the NBA for life and fined $2 million for making racist remarks in his private life that ended up being recorded and outed publicly.

sonics
Ballmer is a big basketball fan, seen here at at a Seattle Sonics game in 2005

As the official current owner, despite his lifetime ban, Sterling may choose to try and fight the acquisition, in which case the sale would have to be approved by three quarters of the 30 other team owners for it to go ahead.

Rumours currently circulating suggest that if given final approval to purchase the team, Ballmer may attempt to move the Clippers from its native LA to his home of Seattle.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Not exactly the move I think anyone expected Ballmer to make after stepping down as CEO. Apparently this isn't the first time he's tried to buy a team though, so maybe it's not so out of the blue.

Image Source: Andrew Hitchcock

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Bill Gates is no longer Microsoft’s biggest share holder https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/bill-gates-is-no-longer-microsofts-biggest-share-holder/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/bill-gates-is-no-longer-microsofts-biggest-share-holder/#comments Mon, 05 May 2014 09:00:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=191133 Bill Gates is no longer Microsoft's largest individual share holder for the first time in the company's history. It was revealed that Gates sold off some shares last week in a regulatory filing, leaving him with 330.1 million shares, which puts  him second behind former CEO, Steve Ballmer, who owns 333 millions shares. Gates had founded …

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Bill Gates is no longer Microsoft's largest individual share holder for the first time in the company's history. It was revealed that Gates sold off some shares last week in a regulatory filing, leaving him with 330.1 million shares, which puts  him second behind former CEO, Steve Ballmer, who owns 333 millions shares.

Gates had founded the company in 1975 and acted as the CEO until 2000, on April 30th 2014 he sold 4.6 million shares according to a notice filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Both Ballmer and Gates own about 4 per cent of Microsoft's over all shares.

456px-BillGates2012

With the way things are heading though, Gates may lose his ownership stake within the next four to five years as for the last 12 years, he has sold 80 million shares in Microsoft as part of a pre-set trading deal created to fund the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. If this pattern of trading continues, then the company founder won't have an ownership stake by mid 2018, according to several reports.

All of that aside though, even without an ownership stake, Gates still has $76 billion sitting in the bank, although he has already pledged to donate the bulk of his fortune to charity, a promise he has been fulfilling for years as he has already given away $28 billion.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Even without an ownership stake in Microsoft, Bill Gates will still be super rich and he is spending the money rather selflessly having already given away a massive $28 billion to charity.

Source: Cnet

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Ex-Microsoft executive claims Ballmer forces out potential threats https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ex-microsoft-executive-claims-ballmer-forces-out-potential-threats/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ex-microsoft-executive-claims-ballmer-forces-out-potential-threats/#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:24:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=122655 Ex-Microsoft senior executive, Joachim Kempin, has written a tell all book that claims the software giant's long standing CEO, Steve Ballmer, has mainly retained his position by ousting those that could potentially take over from him at some point in the future. Describing the rise and fall of Microsoft COO Richard Belluzzo, a veteran of …

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Ex-Microsoft senior executive, Joachim Kempin, has written a tell all book that claims the software giant's long standing CEO, Steve Ballmer, has mainly retained his position by ousting those that could potentially take over from him at some point in the future.

Describing the rise and fall of Microsoft COO Richard Belluzzo, a veteran of Hewlett Packard management and a man credited with launching the original Xbox, Kempin said: “He (Belluzzo) had no room to breathe on the top. When you work that directly with Ballmer and Ballmer believes ‘maybe this guy could someday take over from me', my God, you will have less air to breathe, that's what it comes down to.”

While we'll have to take Kempin's word for it here, one recent instance adds evidence to this claim. Steve Sinofsky, once thought to be a future leader of Microsoft, was let go in what was considered by outsiders as an internal power struggle and inability for Sinofsky to toe the company line.

Ballmer
Maybe he's a lizard, like Donald Rumsfeld?

Kempin also brought up the leaving of Ray Ozzie, who had taken over the role of chief software architect from Bill Gates in 2005. “Ozzie is a great software guy, he knew what he was doing. But when you see Steve (Ballmer) and him on stage where he (Ozzie) opposed Steve, it was Steve's way or the highway.”

In his interview with Reuters, Kempin said of Ballmer: “Is he a great CEO? I don't think so. Microsoft's board is a lame duck board, has been forever. They hire people to help them administer the company, but not to lead the company. That's the problem.”

KitGuru Says: What do you guys think, looking in from the outside? Does Ballmer seem like the kind of guy that would protect his own position over everything else, or is this an ex-employee with an axe to grind?

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Microsoft Surface RT sales off to a ‘modest’ start https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/blair-mcclelland/microsoft-surface-rt-sales-off-to-a-modest-start/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/blair-mcclelland/microsoft-surface-rt-sales-off-to-a-modest-start/#respond Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:32:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=115105 The Surface RT tablet from Microsoft launched just over two weeks ago and since getting word that four million Windows 8 upgrades had been sold, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has given some insight into sales of their in-house tablet. In an interview with Le Parisien Ballmer said that sales for the ARM powered tablet have …

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The Surface RT tablet from Microsoft launched just over two weeks ago and since getting word that four million Windows 8 upgrades had been sold, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has given some insight into sales of their in-house tablet.

In an interview with Le Parisien Ballmer said that sales for the ARM powered tablet have been “modest”, without any additional information. The passionate CEO went onto mention Surface Pro, the more powerful equivalent that runs the full Windows 8 experience on an Intel x86 processor.

It has not been the perfect launch for Microsoft, some users have reported audio issues, wearing of the Windows logo and tearing of seams on the Touch Cover. Also, the previously rumoured sub-$250 price tag and the actual $499 pricing would have been bound to throw off some users.

KitGuru says: We don't know what kind of numbers “modest” consists of but we're sure the higher-end Surface Pro model will catch on further.

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Microsoft sold 4 million Windows 8 upgrades, says Ballmer https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/jon-martindale/microsoft-sold-4-million-windows-8-upgrades-says-ballmer/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/jon-martindale/microsoft-sold-4-million-windows-8-upgrades-says-ballmer/#respond Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:12:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=113953 Current CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, has announced that over four million Windows 8 upgrades have been sold already. His follow up statement said that the interest in the new operating system had been “stunning.” This announcement was made at Microsoft's Build Developer's conference at the company's main campus in Redmond. Ballmer also said that …

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Current CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, has announced that over four million Windows 8 upgrades have been sold already. His follow up statement said that the interest in the new operating system had been “stunning.”

This announcement was made at Microsoft's Build Developer's conference at the company's main campus in Redmond. Ballmer also said that he thought Windows 8 machines were the, “best PCs ever.” This is somewhat counter to a lot of preview impressions given by individuals including heads of gaming companies, but perhaps sales are a good indicator that they were wrong.

Steve Ballmer
Developers, developers, developers...

As well as high upgrade sales, partner purchases have been through the roof too, with several tens of millions heading out the door. However that doesn't really rate public interest, since those partners are simply providing the latest OS to their customers. What will be telling is whether the PCs those same partners offer, continue to have Windows 8 at the forefront, or whether like Vista and its XP predecessor, Windows 7 will make a resurgence.

While Ballmer was less forthcoming when it came to sales numbers of Windows phones and the Surface tablet, he said interest remained high and that ultimately if you're running Windows 8, you want the companion devices too. This is an ethos somewhat echoed in the more closed system Microsoft has been pushing for with its new OS.

At the time of writing, the keynote speech is still ongoing. You can check it out here.

KitGuru Says: Did any of you guys rush out and buy Windows 8 yet? If so, what are you experiences with it so far?

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Microsoft give employees Windows 8 tablets, handsets and PC’s https://www.kitguru.net/channel/slyvia/microsoft-give-employees-windows-8-tablets-handsets-and-pcs/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/slyvia/microsoft-give-employees-windows-8-tablets-handsets-and-pcs/#respond Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:11:21 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=108503 Microsoft don't want their staff using competitor products. Steve Ballmer, their colourful CEO recently held their annual employee meeting and announced a series of freebies that Microsoft employees will be getting. 90,000 Microsoft employees worldwide will be getting a new Surface RT tablet, a new work PC with Windows 8 installed. The employee can choose …

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Microsoft don't want their staff using competitor products. Steve Ballmer, their colourful CEO recently held their annual employee meeting and announced a series of freebies that Microsoft employees will be getting.

90,000 Microsoft employees worldwide will be getting a new Surface RT tablet, a new work PC with Windows 8 installed. The employee can choose either a desktop, laptop/ultrabook. Microsoft replace all employee computers every three years to ensure they are up to date and running the latest software. Lastly, they also get a shiny new Windows 7 Smartphone, which they are allowed to select themselves.

The employee meeting is never open to the public, or press but information always leaks to the press, especially with the popularity of social networking. Some employees couldn't keep their excitement under wraps and hit Twitter and Facebook.

Some of the Microsoft employees seemed really impressed with the Ballmer speech at the event – message hit social networks which read:

“Wow! Steve Ballmer blew the rough [sic] off the Key Arena for the company meeting today! Can't share details though. ;-)”

“Steve Ballmer is the new Oprah! Our Company Meeting was so magical, everyone was glued to their seats. So much innovation!”

“Quite the energetic, emotional and very generous ending to the Microsoft company meeting from Ballmer!”

Kitguru says: Steve Ballmer, the new Oprah? that is one heck of a quote!

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Steve Ballmer receives $682,500 bonus https://www.kitguru.net/channel/slyvia/steve-ballmer-receives-682500-bonus/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/slyvia/steve-ballmer-receives-682500-bonus/#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:42:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=62179 Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer isn't best known for his shy and retiring personality, however he has had to settle with a modest $682,500 salary bonus this year. This matches his annual salary, and while a lot of money for everyone else, is only half the amount it could have been if the company had been …

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Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer isn't best known for his shy and retiring personality, however he has had to settle with a modest $682,500 salary bonus this year. This matches his annual salary, and while a lot of money for everyone else, is only half the amount it could have been if the company had been seen to perform better.

Ballmer replaced Bill Gates in 2000 and in the eyes of analysts, hasn't been the best choice to lead Microsoft. There have been reports of some shareholders asking for him to be removed from the position.

Microsoft have had another under performing year in various sectors, and a major bone of contention is Windows Phone 7. They also want to focus on expanding into other key markets in the industry.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: known on stage for his 'active' presentations

Reuters add “In Ballmer's favor, the company's compensation committee recognized his success in launching the Kinect hands-free gaming system for Xbox and the online Office 365 product, while building up the Azure cloud computing platform and Bing search engine.”

We can't imagine he will be finding it hard to live comfortably. He owns 3.95 percent of the company shares and is classed as the 33rd richest person in the world, with a fortune of $14.5 billion in his personal bank account.

Kitguru says: We wonder if he is happy with his bonus, or if he really cares at all?

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Steve Ballmer to remain at Microsoft until 2017 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/carl/steve-ballmer-to-remain-at-microsoft-until-2017/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/carl/steve-ballmer-to-remain-at-microsoft-until-2017/#comments Fri, 27 May 2011 07:57:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=46865 Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has never been a ‘run of the mill' leader. When he took over the reins at Microsoft, many people thought he wouldn't make an ideal figurehead. Debates across the industry always center on the fact that there are people more skilled within the company to take his position. Steve himself has …

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has never been a ‘run of the mill' leader. When he took over the reins at Microsoft, many people thought he wouldn't make an ideal figurehead. Debates across the industry always center on the fact that there are people more skilled within the company to take his position.

Steve himself has said that he doesn't plan on giving up control of Microsoft until his youngest kid leaves for college in 2017. The only way he will go, is if he is fired and for that to happen, it has to come from Bill Gates. Insiders say that Gates will never fire Ballmer because they are old friends.

Steve Ballmer: a good leader for Microsoft?

Microsoft as a company, have a very small board of members. There are only 7 in total, and only one of these is a strong business leader in the tech industry – Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. The likelihood of them standing up to Ballmer without Gates involved is minimal.

How else could he be removed? It is possible the investors could find a replacement but without a high profile figurehead it is unlikely. There was even talk that Zuckerberg might be involved within Microsoft on some level, given his proven media persona and success in the industry, but it is unlikely he would work for Gates, even on a consultancy level. With the track record of executives like John Sculley, who took over from Steve Jobs in Apple, it is always a high risk as the business model can suffer long term.

Steve Ballmer (above) in full flow. We can only assume he checked his bank balance before going on stage.

Investors could, in theory mount an alternative board of directors who could replace Ballmer before 2017 although that again is unlikely as Bill Gates is the largest shareholder with 6.65% of the company and Ballmer himself has 3.95%. Several large institutional investors hold about 3% each.

KitGuru says: So, until Gates decides that Ballmer isn't suited to the job, his goal of remaining as CEO of Microsoft until 2017 is a strong possibility.

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Microsoft quarterly earnings rise 31 percent to $5.2 billion https://www.kitguru.net/channel/carl/microsoft-quarterly-earnings-rise-31-percent-to-5-2-billion/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/carl/microsoft-quarterly-earnings-rise-31-percent-to-5-2-billion/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:09:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=43469 Microsoft announced a very healthy quarterly earning report which show a 31 percent increase to $5.2 billion. This fiscal third quarter report has exceeded analyst estimates. While the figure is very positive for Microsoft, there is a rather negative aspect to the report, this is the second straight quarter that revenue from their Windows division …

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Microsoft announced a very healthy quarterly earning report which show a 31 percent increase to $5.2 billion. This fiscal third quarter report has exceeded analyst estimates.

While the figure is very positive for Microsoft, there is a rather negative aspect to the report, this is the second straight quarter that revenue from their Windows division has dropped from the previous year. This may cause investors to worry more about the future of Microsoft operating system development. Are they going to be facing a gradual decline over coming years?

The company are still facing serious threats from the Apple iPad and other tablet computers which use rival operating systems, such as Google Android. It appears that many people are moving away from Windows and into the mobile sector for ‘casual' computing, such as checking email, chatting and general browsing demands.

Revenue for Microsoft in the Windows division fell by 4 percent, slightly worse than the fall off in PC shipments which was tracked by research firm IDC.

Thankfully Microsoft have other revenue streams to fall back on, but it does cause concerns that their Windows platform could be facing a slow, but gradual decline. This could also force them to start moving even quicker on the next release of Windows, which always helps to boost company profits after a public release.

KitGuru says: Is the tablet market damaging Microsoft software? it would appear so.

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Microsoft give employees pay rise to stop head hunting https://www.kitguru.net/channel/slyvia/microsoft-give-employees-pay-rise-to-stop-head-hunting/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/slyvia/microsoft-give-employees-pay-rise-to-stop-head-hunting/#comments Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:25:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=42823 Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO sent out an internal email to 90,000 employees to let them know that they will be receiving a pay increase. This is to help make sure that employees feel valued, especially as other technology companies are head hunting for talent. The pay increase was announced yesterday and it is primarily aimed …

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Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO sent out an internal email to 90,000 employees to let them know that they will be receiving a pay increase. This is to help make sure that employees feel valued, especially as other technology companies are head hunting for talent.

The pay increase was announced yesterday and it is primarily aimed at software engineers at the early stage of their careers and mid level employees with expertise that is in short supply.

This move by Microsoft mirrors a recent 10 percent salary increases given by Google late last year. Microsoft have also copied the concept of making it more money oriented, rather than stock options. Microsoft are also giving out bigger bonuses to employees each year, based on performance. Only half of the employee base receive their full bonus every year, but they say that this proportion will rise to 80 percent as the company changes how they calculate the payments.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: A born leader

Silicon Valley has become a hot bed for head hunting in the technology sector as companies are searching for skilled employees to help drive business and growth.

Ballmer said We will make important increases in compensation for specific populations where the market has moved the most – early and mid-level R&D, mid-level company-wide and certain geographies.” Microsoft have stopped issuing stock options, a traditional form of compensation in the technology sector, and changed to restricted stock options which gave more certainty as to when employees would receive payment.

KitGuru says: Pay increases are the quickest way to keep people happy.

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Steve Ballmer rated worst CEO by own staff https://www.kitguru.net/channel/darkliquid/steve-ballmer-rated-worst-ceo-by-own-staff/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/darkliquid/steve-ballmer-rated-worst-ceo-by-own-staff/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:33:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=41076 The latest results from Glassdoor might not surprise many of our readers, but Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO has been voted the worst CEO by employees of his own company. The employees were evaluated for a full year before the final scoring was released. Google employees rate Eric Schmidt highly as his employees show a fantastic …

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The latest results from Glassdoor might not surprise many of our readers, but Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO has been voted the worst CEO by employees of his own company. The employees were evaluated for a full year before the final scoring was released.

Google employees rate Eric Schmidt highly as his employees show a fantastic 96 percent approval rating. Apple employees ranked Steve Jobs with a 95 percent approval rating, which surprised us, as 5 percent seemingly don't think he is doing a good job.

Poor Steve Ballmer had the worst employee approval rating with a cringeworthy 40 percent, dropping 6 percent more from last year. Microsoft employees clearly think someone else could be doing a better job. Carol Bartz from Yahoo saw a significant decline, dropping 27 points to 50 percent.

Overall, Google received the highest rating of the evaluation with 3.8. Adobe, Intel and Apple followed up with 3.6 each.

KitGuru says: Steve Ballmer the worst CEO in the tech industry. I doubt he is too happy when he sees this.

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Steve Ballmer selling $2 billion in Microsoft stock https://www.kitguru.net/channel/slyvia/steve-ballmer-selling-2-billion-in-microsoft-stock/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/slyvia/steve-ballmer-selling-2-billion-in-microsoft-stock/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:08:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=22436 Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer plans to sell $2 billion in stock to ‘diversify his holdings' and to help with tax planning before the end of the year. Either that or he just spotted a tropical island, fancy new cruiseliner and beach mansion for those cold winter months. Ballmer has held about 408 million shares before …

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer plans to sell $2 billion in stock to ‘diversify his holdings' and to help with tax planning before the end of the year. Either that or he just spotted a tropical island, fancy new cruiseliner and beach mansion for those cold winter months.

Ballmer has held about 408 million shares before the move which could involve up to 75 million shares, Microsoft said. According to the worth on November the 5th this would translate to around $2 billion.

Steve Ballmer: after seeing his bank balance

Ballmer said in a statement “Even though this is a personal financial matter, I want to be clear about this to avoid any confusion, I am excited about our new products and the potential for our technology to change people’s lives, and I remain fully committed to Microsoft and its success.” Clearly he was concerned that some people might take this the wrong way.

KitGuru says: Jealous? yeah, we thought so.

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Microsoft proud of Windows Phone 7 UI – more productive https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/microsoft-proud-of-windows-phone-7-ui-more-productive/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jules/microsoft-proud-of-windows-phone-7-ui-more-productive/#respond Wed, 03 Nov 2010 09:03:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=21869 Microsoft are proud to announce that the Windows Phone 7 smartphones can help users get more done in fewer steps than their rivals. Microsoft say that their Windows Phone 7 products deliver greater efficiency, requiring up to 20% less steps to perform common tasks. What is this based on you may ask? Their own internal …

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Microsoft are proud to announce that the Windows Phone 7 smartphones can help users get more done in fewer steps than their rivals.

Microsoft say that their Windows Phone 7 products deliver greater efficiency, requiring up to 20% less steps to perform common tasks. What is this based on you may ask? Their own internal research.

Microsoft have already said they are going to spend more money on TV advertising for WP7 than any other campaign in their history.

Regarding Bing Search integration Brian Seitz, senior marketing manager for WP7 said in an email “With one press, you can either speak-to-search or type in your inquiry and the information is at your fingertips”

KitGuru says: Impressed with the interface?  let us know

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Windows 7 sales hit 240,000,000 – breaks records https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/slyvia/windows-7-sales-hit-240000000-breaks-records/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/slyvia/windows-7-sales-hit-240000000-breaks-records/#comments Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:44:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=20747 Microsoft have announced that over 240 million copies of Windows 7 have been sold since releasing the operating system over a year ago. This is now officially the fastest selling OS in their history. Vista was never warmly received, although at KitGuru we think some of the uneducated press damaged the platform beyond repair when …

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Microsoft have announced that over 240 million copies of Windows 7 have been sold since releasing the operating system over a year ago. This is now officially the fastest selling OS in their history.

Vista was never warmly received, although at KitGuru we think some of the uneducated press damaged the platform beyond repair when it was in fact, a pretty good platform. Windows 7 has healed Microsoft's standing with their customer base as people adopt the OS faster than anything else before it. Windows 7 actually accounts now for 17.1% of the global OS market, which is a staggering percentage.

Since Windows 7 was released the Microsoft Customer Satisfaction Index has increased from 70 to 76, while other software makers as a group scored 77.

How can we forget this video of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer ?

Windows 7 and Office suits drove a 48 percent increase in profits year over year and a 22% jump in revenue. The next market Microsoft need to drive is the mobile sector, which is proving rather difficult.

KitGuru says: Windows 7 is a great operating system, but Vista was unfairly treated.

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MS CEO Ballmer says ‘One iPad is more than I want to see’ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/slyvia/ms-ceo-ballmer-says-one-ipad-is-more-than-i-want-to-see/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/slyvia/ms-ceo-ballmer-says-one-ipad-is-more-than-i-want-to-see/#comments Wed, 13 Oct 2010 08:02:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=19880 Outspoken Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the Microsoft brand holds value for users, more than rival brands. He also said he is seeing more iPads in the real world than he wants to see. Ballmer sat down with Cnet news.com's Ina Fried and he was asked about the huge selection of Windows 7 phones …

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Outspoken Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the Microsoft brand holds value for users, more than rival brands. He also said he is seeing more iPads in the real world than he wants to see.

Ballmer sat down with Cnet news.com's Ina Fried and he was asked about the huge selection of Windows 7 phones hitting the market this week.

Steve Ballmer - his bank balance shrunk by this much after losing half his bonus

“I think you clearly have a lot more variety than Apple has. There's really only one choice in the Apple world,  I think the problem, if you don't have a minimum kind of standard ….. the brand means nothing to the user. Our brand means something to the user. It means something to the developer. It implies a certain level of consistency and high quality, which I think is important for the Windows Phone.”

Fried asked him about the iPad adoption rate and he said “You certainly see more than I would like. One is more than I would like. Certainly someone who wants to sit and do an interview and take notes and scroll around, they are unlikely to find that device very comfortable. It doesn't stand up on its own. It doesn't have a big screen and keyboard.”

Ballmer has been hit hard recently as he lost half of his bonus due to the board saying his performance in the mobile sector was subpar this year. He also has been heard during an analyst meeting as saying that creating an iPad rival is Microsoft's number 1 priority. Fried pushed him on the intended release date for the Microsoft tablet.

“Like I said, you will see a set of things from our partners, essentially around the holidays, And then they will get an enhancement (next year) , which I highlighted, from Intel, which will be very valuable, as we get their next generation Oak Trail processors. It's also an important part of our road map.”

KitGuru says: Can Microsoft create a challenge to the iPad? It ain't going to be easy thats for certain.

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