"It puts the Linux phenomenon and the Unix phenomenon at the top of the list."

--Steve Ballmer, 2001

Summary: Video of Ballmer's latest tactlessness goes missing after receiving too much exposure

WE'VE already mentioned Ballmer's iPhone incident, but there is no known footage of it. There was, however, a footage of Ballmer making a characteristically-bizarre appearance, but as Todd Bishop puts this, it "looks like the person who posted this publicly had second thoughts after it started to be viewed publicly (funny how that happens), and switched it to allow only private viewing on YouTube. We'll let you know if it resurfaces elsewhere."

All attempts to find a copy of this video were not successful (videos are not being cached). Any other means for retrieving this missing video which was publicly viewable for a while? Here is how Bishop describes it:

Is Steve Ballmer admirably enthusiastic, or is his cheerleading too much following the company's unprecedented layoffs and cutbacks?

[...]

This particular video doesn't show the iPhone incident -- we're still hoping to get our hands on a video clip of that -- but it does provide a sense for the tone leading up to that now-infamous encounter.

From one comment we learn that "The fact the video is NOT available RIGHT NOW on YouTube says volumes about the current state of employee anxiety. Such lockstep, fearful behavior among the ranks does not bode well for the future of the company."

Another comment goes as follows: "As a long time ex-MSer, I have to say this used to be energizing but became embarassing some years ago. It's particularly inappropriate this year with the company's bad financial performance and the 5,000 layoffs already and likely more to come."

Silently, Microsoft is still laying off employees without announcing it to shareholders. Well, Microsoft has had happier days. ⬆

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"I'd put the Linux phenomenon really as threat No. 1."

--Steve Ballmer, 2001 (year of XP release)