ballmer

Ballmer: We need to be more disruptive in search

PALO ALTO, Calif.--While trailing Google badly in search has lots of disadvantages, it also opens some doors, says Steve Ballmer. And, he said, it's time Microsoft starts walking through more of those doors.

"We are going to have to be more disruptive," Microsoft's CEO said in response to a question at the end of a speech at Stanford. He pointed to Live Search Cashback as one example and hinted of changes to come in terms of the search user interface and new types of partnerships with content creators.

Google has the economies of scale and … Read more

Ballmer: 'The world borrowed too much money'

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer began his talk at Stanford University by offering a quick course in economics.

Explaining the economic crisis that has slowed business worldwide and caused Microsoft to have its first companywide layoffs, Ballmer told the crowd at the school's packed Memorial Auditorium, "The world borrowed too much money."

Then he went back to his obligatory chat about the early days at Microsoft, including when he dropped out of Stanford's business school to join the software maker. He noted that he knew how to read a balance sheet, but not much … Read more

Ballmer on Microsoft's new layoffs notices

In the wake of handing out 3,000 layoff notices Tuesday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sent an e-mail to staff.

Ballmer characterized the cuts as the second phase of the plan announced in January. At the time, Microsoft said it would cut 5,000 jobs over an 18-month-period. With the cuts made in January and those announced on Tuesday, Microsoft has now nearly eliminated all those positions.

Here is the text of Ballmer's e-mail, which was seen by CNET News.

From: Steve Ballmer Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 To: Microsoft - All Employees Subject: Update: Realigning Resources and Reducing … Read more

Ballmer, IBM reportedly surprised by Oracle-Sun deal

Reporters caught up with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in Moscow to get his take on Oracle's deal to buy Sun Microsystems for $7.4 billion.

But apparently Ballmer, who is rarely at a loss for words, didn't exactly have a sound byte at the ready.

"I need to think about it," Ballmer told reporters in Moscow, according to Reuters. "I am very surprised."

I'm hearing that Ballmer wasn't the only one surprised by Monday's deal. According to a source of mine, IBM hadn't given up on purchasing Sun and was … Read more

Report: Yahoo, Microsoft CEOs meet face to face

Discussions between Microsoft and Yahoo about a search partnership, while still preliminary, have taken place in recent weeks, according to a report on the All Things Digital Web site.

The talks have included a face-to-face meeting between Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, the report said. AllThingsD stressed that the talks are centered on what sort of search and advertising partnership might be possible, rather than an all-out acquisition.

Ballmer has been saying for months he would be open to a search deal, while Bartz has appeared less than eager for such an arrangement, in her far more limited comments … Read more

Ballmer's big mouth is good for Microsoft

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer opened his big mouth again. He decided to dish on Apple, saying the company competes by providing little more than a logo and a higher price.

"Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction," Ballmer said in a keynote speech at Media Summit 2009, discussing Apple's recent gains in the market. "The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment...to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be."

Apple fans came out in force, responding to Ballmer's latest bullet. Commenters tried to correct Ballmer, saying, "That extra $500 gets you an OS that doesn't get viruses and allows you to run for the life of the computer without having to wipe the computer and reinstall." Others were more reactionary. Said one, "Ballmer is an idiot...period."

But is he? Sure, he opens his mouth when most competitors wouldn't, but it's hard to argue with his track record as a CEO. Over the past four years alone, he has presided over a staggering increase in Microsoft's bottom line. During that period, profits at the company have risen from $12 billion in 2005 to more than $17 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. Revenue has nearly doubled in that time. And shareholder value--a measure of a company's ability to increase its free cash flow over time--has increased since he became CEO of Microsoft.… Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Is free, ad-supported music downloading dead?

Editor's note: Today's whole podcast has now been uploaded. Enjoy!

On Thursday afternoon when SpiralFrog quietly closed down, it became the second free music downloading site supported by ad sales to bite the dust this year. CNET News reporter Greg Sandoval, who broke the story of SpiralFrog's demise, reflects on the future of free music online and whether any model can dislodge Apple's iTunes dominance.

Also in today's podcast, Steve Ballmer speaks publicly about Apple, checking in on the latest battleground in the ongoing browser wars, turning trash into ethanol, and a look at the … Read more

Microsoft wants Office 14 to get along

REDMOND, Wash.--For a company that is happy to list a million reasons why Office is better than OpenOffice or Google Docs or other rivals, Microsoft sure is putting a tremendous amount of effort into working better with those products.

The next version of Office will natively support the OpenDocument format (as will the next service pack for Office 2007). As it is developing the next Office, Microsoft is also documenting every change it is making as part of its commitment to documenting all of Office's various formats and protocols.

"We often talk about the changing needs of … Read more

Ballmer's economic 'reset' vision: Who'd benefit?

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, speaking to the technology heads of U.S. federal agencies on Wednesday, suggested that the global economy is in for significant change, as TechFlash reports.

While this suggestion is not surprising, I found his comments about a "resetting" of the economy, a theme he has been discussing a lot lately, interesting in that it would likely favor open source:

Essentially, the economy is going to reset to a different level, and then again be propelled by what really should be, and typically are, the fundamental drivers of economic growth--which are really productivity and innovation.… Read more

Office 14: Worth a wait?

REDMOND, Wash.--Among the many tidbits in Steve Ballmer's talk to financial analysts Tuesday was the fact that folks should not expect the next version of Office, code-named Office 14, to come out this year.

"From a strategy perspective, the next big innovation milestone is Office 14, our next Office release, which will not be this year," Ballmer told the Wall Street crowd. "There's a version of SharePoint. There's a version of Exchange. There's a new version of Office Live."

As it has been with Windows 7, Microsoft has been cagey about … Read more