01.24.11
Microsoft Exodus Noted in the Press, Is Steve Ballmer Next?
Summary: Microsoft loses chairs (although none are thrown) and Ballmer’s chair too is doubted
Moments ago a reader mailed us some pointer to important news. It was earlier today that Jon Brodkin covered for IDG the story of Microsoft exodus in January of 2011. It is about 3 departures that we wrote about separately about one week ago. Bad news, eh? Microsoft will probably need to start hiring more lawyers (Microsoft is a lawsuits company), but then again, Microsoft’s legal team is being shifted to India for savings and the patent strategy is misguided yet damaging to everyone. Steve Ballmer is not a lawyer, but his company recently promoted some, positioning the monopolist more properly for an existence as a patent agitator and troll.
What Microsoft needs right now is not an eccentric CEO but some kind of a person more ruthless than Ballmer — one who is willing to carry on relentlessly despite realising that s/he serves a malevolent agenda. Many executives perhaps leave because they come to this realisation, or perhaps they foresee further layoffs and collapse of this employer. Either way, a strong Apple proponent slams Microsoft watcher Joe Wilcox and alleges that Ballmer does a terrible job:
If Muglia were the first executive to be let go at Microsoft this year, one might guess he was indeed a bad apple or a poor fit for the job. But in the context of Ballmer’s housecleaning of Xbox and Zune leader J Allard, Entertainment & Devices Division head Robbie Bach, Office Division head Stephen Elop, as well as chief software architect Ray Ozzie (who had joined Microsoft in 2005 to take over the vision role of Bill Gates, and who was supposed to be holding the company’s divisions together in a coordinating role), throwing out the Server and Tools head within the same year-long period seems to be a rather intense and extended amputation on the level of “127 Hours” climber Aron Ralston.
[...]
Wilcox’s praise of Baller makes it sound like he’s a court musician, struggling to find rhyming lyrics that best flatter the crowned emperor who sits on his throne naked and glassy-eyed, eating a greasy turkey leg as his country is overrun by invading Huns outside.
Earlier this month, Robert Pogson pointed out that Ballmer’s vote of confidence had sunk. This was hardly reported, but it helped show that even within Microsoft there’s tiredness of Ballmer. Is he on his way out? █
“Government attorneys accuse Microsoft of using its monopoly position to bully, bribe and attempt to collude with others in the industry, while illegally expanding and protecting its Windows franchise.”
–The antitrust case: a timeline
The Mad Hatter said,
January 24, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Hell, I hope that they keep him. He’s one of the main reasons that I think that Microsoft will be in bankruptcy by 2015.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Good (for us, bad for Microsoft) things don’t last forever. Assuming Microsoft replaces him, one can prepare for the patent bully.
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/277522/microsoft_promotes_gutierrez_steer_ip_policy_licensing/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/159960/microsoft_promotes_gutierrez_to_steer_ip_policy_licensing.html
techwrongs Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
jesus christ, you trolls are pathetic. Microsoft isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
This article just spins a few little happenings at one redmond way with happenings from nearly ten years ago in an attempt to sell your doom and gloom scenario.
It is silly, and completely pathetic. It really shows the tinfoil in your hats.
The Mad Hatter Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
I drew my conclusions from Microsoft’s SEC reports. And my conclusions are backed up by Business Insider, Forbes, and several other business publications.
So yes, Microsoft is probably going somewhere soon.
Now of course Microsoft doesn’t want to go there, and they quite probably will avoid bankruptcy. However to do that, they have to get rid of Ballmer. But they can’t right now, because he’s buddy-buddy with Bill Gates, who is still Microsoft’s biggest shareholder.
techwrongs Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Links please, or you are lying.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
@The Mad Hatter: and they can still be bailed out, especially now that they make some patient records depend on Microsoft (for ‘free’).
Microsoft had at least $6,000,000,000 in debt to repay the last time I checked.
The Mad Hatter Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Here’s the best link, however I’ll warn you that it’s pretty dry reading. Microsoft QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2010.
These are some of my evaluations:
Microsoft Death Watch – January 2011 Update
Microsoft Death Watch – Damage To The Ecosystem
Microsoft Death Watch – Confirmation From Business Insider
Microsoft Death Watch – Libre Office Drives Another Nail Into The Coffin
Microsoft Death Watch – The Mainstream Media Notices the Problem
Microsoft Death Watch Continued – Windows As An Orphan Product
Microsoft Death Watch – Confirmation From Dave Newman
Microsoft Death Watch
Major Loss For Microsoft – Google Bans Microsoft Windows
Microsoft, the Monopolist Zombie
That I think will give you a good look at my reasoning. Of course the only way to prove whether I’m right is to wait and see what happens.
techrights Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
lulz, linking to yourself does not a fact make.
techrights Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
I like this part:
(In millions, except per share amounts) (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30,
Net income
$ 5,410 (2010) $ 3,574 (2009)
Yep, they will be dead soon, only 5.4 billion in income over the last THREE MONTHS. Oh and in a down economy too! How will they ever survive on 5.4 billion in net income per quarter???
Sure, anyone can tell by reading this that they are on a downward slope, there isn’t much time left so you better sell all of your stock!
The Mad Hatter Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 6:26 pm
If you read them, all of my articles link to sources. You don’t have the believe either me or the sources of course, that’s your choice.
You should however check my article about Business Insider, where I link to all of their articles about the downfall of Microsoft. I wasn’t aware of their article when I started the Microsoft Death Watch series, and some of them predated my conclusions by a significant amount of time.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 12:34 am
I see the abuser chose this site’s name as the username, potentially deceiving people about identities.
The Mad Hatter Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 1:44 am
That’s fine, he/she/it served my purpose.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 1:53 am
I worry because there is this new user in Reddit called “techrights” and I have no idea who that is… can embarrass this site at any time.
techwrongs Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 9:18 am
Oh go home, Roy. We all know that it’s you pretending to not be you.
The Mad Hatter Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Prove it, Bucko.
The Mad Hatter Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
It’s amazing how little most people know about how companies operates, and what the costs of operation are.
Let’s go back ten years. About ten years ago, the industry first started talking about General Motors heading for bankruptcy. We were talking about it. But no one in the mainstream had even considered General Motors being in danger at that point. Yes, I used to work in the automotive industry.
Microsoft is where General Motors was then. It is very profitable but has severe weaknesses.