seattlepi.com Microsoft Blog: Ballmer on being 'first'

January 25, 2005

Ballmer on being 'first'

USA Today published an extensive article and accompanying Q&A today focusing on Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer as he leads the company's mid-life charge. Among the more enlightening passages was a portion of the story recounting a discussion between Ballmer and reporter Kevin Maney:

While it's clear that Microsoft is changing, old behaviors die hard. When Ballmer gets talking about how Microsoft must be first with technology innovations — which, so far in Microsoft's history, has not often happened — the exchange is more like vintage pugilistic Microsoft.
Ballmer: "You've got to be not just first in an area; you've got to be first with important innovations even in areas that you've pioneered."

USA TODAY reporter: "Well, you guys have proved over and over again being first is not necessarily ..."

Ballmer: "We love to be first."

Reporter: "You love to be first but ..."

Ballmer: "We love to be first."

Reporter: "You certainly weren't the first — you know, I mean, here looking at your ..."

Ballmer: "We love to be first. Well, our big success is Windows. We were first. Windows, we were first — and then everybody faded out because there was a period during which the concept was — I mean, Apple stuck around with their concept of that, but everybody else faded out, basically."

Tech people must be scratching their heads. Windows wasn't the first graphical user interface — that was invented by Xerox and was first made popular by Apple Computer. Microsoft didn't have the first browser or video player or cell phone operating system. Time and again, the company has come in late and, in many cases, won the day with tenacity. It is a strength Microsoft could boast about but doesn't.

Posted by Todd Bishop at January 25, 2005 06:17 PM

Comments

I am really surprised at Ballmer's ignorance of truth. I think he is either trying to make people believe that Microsoft is first ( in what we really do not know).Everything brought out by Microsoft was in existence. There is a lot of difference between loving to be the first and being the first and Microsoft is never first.

Posted by: Prof.K.Prabhakar at January 25, 2005 08:42 PM

I guess he means they were the first to make it a "big success."

Posted by: KB at January 26, 2005 12:13 PM

Maybe he was thinking about how people had the choice between Windows and Apple. For many people, Windows was their first choice. You can't argue with results.

Posted by: KB at January 26, 2005 12:36 PM

You know...sometimes I think Ballmer would rather be running a small Linux company, taking on Microsoft -- but fate has locked him into his current situation.

Too bad...he'd make a great Penguin.

Posted by: john bailo at January 26, 2005 01:18 PM

I guess he would rather be at Microsoft and focus on customers, rather than at a small Linux company and focus on Microsoft.

Posted by: KB at January 26, 2005 01:27 PM

Well, if I remember correctly they were the first to offer a product like "Bob". They were also the last. Other than that their big "Innovations" have all been either copied, purchased, or stolen from competitors. But they are the first software company to do so on such a large scale.

Posted by: Bill Fuller at January 27, 2005 11:33 AM

Um, what does "he would rather be at Microsoft and focus on customers" have to do with reality. Is there a Microsoft customer out there (not counting those paid to say so) who feels that he or she, rather than his or her wallet, is where Ballmer's focus lies?

Posted by: Andrew Purvis at January 28, 2005 01:12 AM

On Andrew's point.. MS focuses on DEVELOPERS not customers...

Their business model is.. "You don't like us. We give up. You have to use our stuff cuz we're friends with the developers."

They couldn't give a shit what their customers think. And history tells us that's the key to success? Yippee.. The worlds richest man shits on his customers and squelches progress and chokes competition.

And here's his fat friend to tell us how history should be rewritten.

Well if MS isn't nice to us, at least Bill is nice to those living in third world destitution. I really mean that.

Posted by: mike at January 31, 2005 04:00 AM

it's the second mouse that gets the cheese in the mousetrap

Posted by: - at April 23, 2005 02:43 AM


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