Calling for Steve Ballmer to Step Down ??

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The internet has its down side. Everyone has become the press and people with little or no experience in a particular subject matter can offer “expert” commentary that is then picked up by others and assumed to be factual or accurate,

 

It’s not like the “real” press isn’t bad enough.

 

I picked up two magazines by the same publisher last week. One was chock full of expert opinion about how Microsoft was dead and Windows Vista would never ship and it didn’t contain anything useful even if it did ship. (This was a Linux magazine.) The other expounded in detail why Microsoft rocks and Windows Vista is the best and most useful operating system that will ever be seen, and that the Linux crowd can never hope to do anything but be second rate copycats.

 

I love hearing opinions that differ from my own, even when I think they totally wrong or they come from people who I think are ALWAYS wrong. One doesn’t expand his mind by arguing with people that agree with you. But a publisher shouldn’t have mutually exclusive positions. I guess I have an old school view of journalism.

 

Take all this noise calling for Steve Ballmer to step down.

 

I’ve read this all over the web from trade rags to little company czars.

 

Trade rags write stuff just to get people to read… they generally don’t seem to care if what they say has any basis in fact.

 

When I read about it from guys like Joel Spolesky (www.JoelOnSoftware.com)  I just have to shake my head. I like Joel’s writing, many of his ideas about software development, even his company’s products.

 

But what would possibly make a guy like Joel think he is qualified to tell Steve Ballmer to step down. Joel’s entire companies revenue is probably less than the campus’ coffee budget.

 

To Steve Ballmer I say …..

 

Hey Steve – THANKS !!!  AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

 

  • Microsoft revenues continue to grow significantly each year.
  • I’ve received a raise and a bonus every year since I’ve been at Microsoft.
  • Microsoft still contributes to my long term savings.
  • I still have great health benefits.
  • The Microsoft Stock I buy with my own money is worth more than I paid for it.
  • I’m still a valued employee - I changed jobs recently to move from I job I grew unhappy with to one I Love.
  • I’m still proud as hell of the work we do. I’m using Visual Studio, Office 2007, Messenger Live, Windows Media 11, Live.com, Virtual Earth, MapPoint, and Windows Vista every day and they ROCK!

 

Yea, I wish the stock was appreciating, but what can you do.

 

We’re a maturing company. Especially after the bubble, everyone wants to get rich quick.

 

A smart guy once told me…. It’s great if you can figure out how to make a million dollars once, but the prospects are better if you focus on figuring out how to make a dollar a million times.