Talk:Steve Ballmer/Archive 1

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Archive 1

Older discussion

Removed: Religious beliefs Judaism

Haven't found any reliable source where he mentions it.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.36.38.65 (talk) 16:55, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS. Hehehe. :) Chadloder 07:16 Jan 24, 2003 (UTC)

Is it really necessary to mention the 'Monkey Boy' Dance ? :)

: Well, apparently someone (anonymous) thought not and deleted it. There's sure not much here... Jmabel 01:25, Jun 30, 2004 (UTC)

I think if he was given a proper article that was very informative on all the typical encyclopedia things: life, career, etc., then a small sentence blurb about his developers dance would be appropriate. But at the size the aritcle is now (hardly even a proper stub) it's kind of... unfair. Yeah it's funny and he's famous among internet nerds for it, but most people expect more regular-type information before they get links to videos of him doing stupid dances. :D --AsianAstronaut 04:29, 2004 Jul 3 (UTC)
I just came along and noticed it was taken out, and decided to put it back in (along with a few other modifications). I didn't realize there was already a discussion on it before I did so, but it seems like most of you don't mind either way. I think the article needs some more content as well (maybe I'll try to add some more later), but considering the popularity of his "Monkey Boy" dance, isn't it worthy of being mentioned? We can balance it out with other content, but I don't see the need to remove it entirely. - MattTM 02:54, 31 Jul 2004 (UTC)

The recent and anonymous claim that Ballmer is "an ardent Buddhist" strikes me as unlikely and I have reverted it. If anyone has a reasonable citation for this, fine, restore with citation. -- Jmabel | Talk 07:50, Oct 23, 2004 (UTC)

Is "overzealous" really an NPOV description of a man? I think a lot of people would agree that he is at times, but for an encyclopedic article? I don't know, English is not my first language, but it seems very POV to me. Haakon 21:38, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Seems POV to me, too, shouldn't be in the narrative voice of the article, although quoting someone to this effect would be appropriate. -- Jmabel | Talk 21:57, Nov 18, 2004 (UTC)
I think a better word would be Passionate. --Rdoger6424 02:11, 8 November 2005 (UTC)

Mother

It's so instructive to learn that Ballmer's mother was a Jewish American woman. Shouldn't his father then be described as a "Swiss immigrant man? Rlquall 01:24, 17 May 2005 (UTC)

Maybe it had to be made clear that his mother is a woman because in Judaism the Judaism goes by the mother... yea I suck at making excuses out of nothing. 220.233.48.200 06:21, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

Hello, Would someone please add a link to Steve's father, i.e., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Ballmer on the main page. Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.150.73.151 (talk) 10:52, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

Should this really be here?

Hi,

As I read the page on Steve Balmer I found this...

"Fucking Eric Schmidt is a fucking pussy. I'm going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to fucking kill Google."

I know and understand that this is what he supposedly said, and I am by no means trying to defend him or anything. But should that kind of language be in Wikipedia? Even kids read Wikipedia, and I wouldn't want my kids to read that kind of things, especially since it was said by one of the world's richest man... Why not just say he lost his temper or something?

Thanks =)

anog

Wikipedia policy is pretty clear agains censorship, as long as the material is relevant. -- Jmabel | Talk 07:04, September 4, 2005 (UTC)
I wouldn't call removing "bad language" from an article censorship... I just don't think it's adequate for all ages, and it certainly isn't something I expect to see in a reference encyclopedia - even if it is a direct quote.
I would. The world is not adequate for all ages. Aragorn2 13:24, 8 May 2006 (UTC)
This has already been discussed to death elsewhere. For instance, there is an article on fuck. The general policy is to avoid adding profanities gratuitously, but to not bowdlerize them when they are relevant. --cesarb 18:30, 4 September 2005 (UTC)
OK, then, let's ask this way: "is it really really relevant to include that f-word filled quote to make a point about Ballmer? If so, is that point really really important for someone to learn more about Ballmer?" I am in no way after a ceonsorship, but a little moderation cannot hurt anyone. I always thought Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not an online newspaper, and hence we should choose the wording of articles with more care that goes into a 'read today, toss tomorrow' newspaper article. mu5ti/talk 22:14, September 12, 2005 (UTC)
I think it's pretty revealing of his style and, having dealt with the man (when he and I were both much younger), accurately so. -- Jmabel | Talk 18:10, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
OK, I was there. This is Mark Lucovsky. Steve lost his composure. He said some things that he regrets saying. I don't think the exact quote adds tons of value on this article, and we can always link directly to the 100's of new articles that provide a recap. Just my views, but I was there and I know that Steve just blew a gasket. Saying that he is competitive is fine, saying that he does not like to loose to anyone is fine, but really, the words don't really capture how pissed he was. The exact words were needed for the courts, but they don't need to be included here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.107.11.105 (talk • contribs) 27 Sept 2005

--- The video of Ballmer sending Windows 1.0 is a joke--I think--but it's presented as fact.

  • It's clearly a joke, but it's either him (self-parody) or someone who looks an awful lot like him. Does anyone know which? -- Jmabel | Talk 21:41, September 5, 2005 (UTC)


Why has this been removed from the article? It's something he is known for and should be documented, not deleted! 81.97.96.13 (talk) 00:13, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

Thankfully these false testimonies of Lucovsky have been removed, how dare you insult such a good businessman Lucovsky? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.88.213.246 (talk) 09:28, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

So edits with the actual quote are being reverted. It's not vandalism! Numerous references can be found of the quote http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/microsoft-ceo-im-going-to-fing-kill-google/2005/09/03/1125302772214.html, and it describes his temper (instead of just saying he's going to "kill Google"). Allen314159 (talk) 06:30, 17 February 2011 (UTC)

Encyclopædic?

"Beyond his jovial image, this second cousin of famous comedian Gilda Radner is known to be a shrewd businessman with a flair to grab opportunities when they come."

Given the tone of this, I'm not really sure it's suitable for an encyclopædia. Also, the tone and non-wikification make me think this may have been copied from another source, possibly copyrighted.

Mullet 16:29, 11 September 2005 (UTC)

Is this line really appropriate?

The first paragraph ends:

"In 2005, Forbes ranked him the 11th richest person in the world with an estimated wealth of $14 billion. Steve Balmer will bury you. He's done it before and he'll do it again."

Is the bury you comment appropriate? It doesn't add anything to the article, and looks more like some petty comment. It doesn't seem like something that belongs in an encyclopedia at all.

Thanks, -Shane (8 Oct 2005)

Obviously not. At the time you made your remark, it was recently added. This is basically minor-league vandalism. When you see things like this, feel free to remove them. -- Jmabel | Talk 01:48, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

Personality

The "Personality" section has now been cut in its entirety. I'm not going to keep fighting over keeping this unless at least a few other experienced Wikipedians agree with me, but I believe this material belongs in the article. The last person who removed it claimed it was hearsay (or, as he spelled it, "heresay"). That is simply not true. This is well-cited material. Some of it can even be cited to an eyewitness report in a trial transcript. Some of it is attested by video. How can this be called "hearsay"?

We can reasonably discuss whether it belongs in the article: I think it does, because it provides insight into the (rather remarkable) personality of one of the wealthiest people in the world, head of one of the world's most important companies. What is the argument against? The argument that it is "hearsay" is simply false. -- Jmabel | Talk 04:34, 19 October 2005 (UTC)

FWIW, I think it should be readded. — Bcat, who is too lazy to log in
[Begin cut material]
Steve Ballmer can be so zealous in expressing his enthusiasm that once his vocal cords required surgery after he screamed "Windows, Windows, Windows" continuously at a Japan meeting in 1991. When Microsoft celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2000, CEO Ballmer popped out of the anniversary cake to surprise the audience. His wild screaming and dancing on stage at an employees convention was caught on a widely-circulated video known as "Dance Monkeyboy." [1] A few days later at a developers conference, a sweat-soaked Ballmer repeatedly chanted "developers" at least 14 times in front of the bemused gathering. Beyond his jovial image, this second cousin of famous comedian Gilda Radner is known to be a shrewd businessman with a flair to grab opportunities when they come.
Ballmer has also called Linux "communism" and the GNU General Public License "a cancer" [2]. He advocates digital rights management and has said that "DRM is the future."
Ballmer is reputed to have a sometimes violent temper. Mark Lucovsky has claimed that on hearing that he (Lucovsky) was about to leave Microsoft for Google "Mr. Ballmer picked up a chair and threw it across the room hitting a table in his office. Mr. Ballmer then said: 'Fucking Eric Schmidt is a fucking pussy. I'm going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to fucking kill Google,'" then resumed trying to persuade Lucovsky to stay at Microsoft. Ballmer has described this as a "gross exaggeration of what actually took place." [3], [4]
[End cut material]
agreed. I just did. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.247.60.205 (talk • contribs) 21 Oct 2005
And Gephart, apparently editing against consensus, promptly removed it again, this time claiming it is "disingenuous". That is a slightly confusing remark; as far as I can tell, the only thing you can mean by calling a text "disingenuous" is to call its author "disingenuous". As I understand it that means "insincere or calculating", which amounts to questioning good faith and borders on a personal attack. So, between this and his previous remark (also in an edit summary), Gephart seems to me to be saying that court transcripts and other cited information are "hearsay" and that we are (for some unstated reason) not operating in good faith in wanting to include these in the article; he is apparently willing to edit against apparent consensus in order to keep the material out. I don't want an edit war, but I'm not going to yield unilaterally to someone editing against consensus on the basis of two claims, the first one palpably false, and the second one simply saying that those who disagree with him are not acting in good faith. -- Jmabel | Talk 18:41, 23 October 2005 (UTC)
User Jmabel has completely misunderstood what I was trying to convey in my previous edit, and took that misunderstanding as an oportunity to belittle me. That my friend is a personal attack. So please dont blame your misunderstanding of the english language and context of my writing as a means of attacking someone else. The point i was trying to convey is that this material is completely unecessary and seems to have been placed in the article due to a personal vendeda against either Steve Ballmer or the Microsoft corporation in general. I think that there was a HUGE POV issue with the Personality section (Mostly the whole paragraph) so i was doing my best to bring the article up to Wikipedia standards.--Gephart 21:29, 29 October 2005 (UTC)
I also believe the section should be in the article, minus the statement "Beyond his jovial image, this second cousin of famous comedian Gilda Radner is known to be a shrewd businessman with a flair to grab opportunities when they come," which doesn't seem to belong, and appears NPOV ("shrewd businessman") and irrelevant (second cousin of Gilda Radner). Joyous (talk) 15:19, 30 October 2005 (UTC)
I believe Ballmer's personality is relevant, and agree with Joy. Regarding this section:

"Fucking Eric Schmidt is a fucking pussy. I'm going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to fucking kill Google."

I am wondering if cutting half of the quote out but maintaining the tone would work just as well. For instance:

"Eric Schmidt is a... pxxxx. I'm going to fxxxing bury that guy[.]... I'm going to fxxxing kill Google."

We can quibble about the actual stuff that's left if it's agreed that part of it could go. I feel like all of those f-bombs (and extra sputtering on Ballmer's part) are just taking up unnecessary space. His tone is so off the wall that if we leave just one or two f-bombs in, we can still achieve the same effect and make his personality just as clear. Jacqui ★ 21:24, 30 October 2005 (UTC)

I have no problem with reducing the "f-bombs", as long as the basics remain. And, while I did not add any of this material, I think it belongs. For the record, I, for one, certainly do not have a "personal vendetta" against Ballmer, who I have met only once, about 25 years ago. Much of what we have (e.g. "Developers! Developers!") refers to matters that could only have been more public if they had occurred on broadcast television. I'd be glad to see things that are equally well-cited and bring out other aspects of the man. Among other things, I've heard from sources I'd consider reliable that he was notable (just about unique, I'd say) among the early and famous at Microsoft in being a one-woman man; I'd love to have a citation for something apropos to that.

Gephart, if you can indicate what among what I said you construe as a personal attack, I will most likely be glad to retract it. -- Jmabel | Talk 04:46, 31 October 2005 (UTC)

It looks like the dispute re this section has been resolved, but I'll weigh in anyway - the personality section as it stands 2/12/05 seems relevant and NPOV to me, and should certainly be included. Colonel Tom 23:04, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Gephart, you can "believe" whatever you want. The fact remains that the chair-tossing, "fucking bury him!" incident is very widely known and discussed. Even if it was provably 100% pure fiction (which it isn't), it would still merit mention because it is a VERY widely repeated story. Just Google 'chair Ballmer'--250,000+ hits. You don't have the right to censor a very widely-known (and mocked) story, even if it's merely based on the word of an ex-employee. --Lode Runner (talk) 23:33, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

This should be included in the article but things such as "zealotry" should not be included. That is definitely POV. What has been discussed in the media has been the facts, unless sources can be cited about said personality disorder. --dgcaste 15:44 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Steve Ballmer photo caption

Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I have worked on articles about, say, musicians and I've been told to always use a last name, for the same reason I switched it back last time. I believe an enecyclopedia would always use a last name. So I'm going to switch it back, okay? Jacqui ★ 14:13, 31 October 2005 (UTC)

Concur. -- Jmabel | Talk 02:49, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

NPOV?

The Personality section seems to be written completely from the geeks-who-hate-Microsoft perspective. That's not to say that it isn't true, but it is a little alarming to read every stereotype of Steve Ballmer quoted as truth in Wikipedia. Rings some alarm bells. --Orborde 07:59, 2 November 2005 (UTC)

I use Microsoft, and it looks pretty okay to me. Accurate and sourced in general, though I don't think we need the Uncyclopedia references. Some of that stuff actually rather endears me to Ballmer (that is, when he's not shouting he is going to fucking kill everyone) -- the bounciness and excitement make him interesting. Jacqui ★ 14:48, 2 November 2005 (UTC)
Presumably that's "endears Ballmer to you", not vice versa. -- Jmabel | Talk 07:06, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

Uncyclopedia material cut

Uncyclopedia has an interesting play on Ballmer's vow to "fucking kill Google," including an article[5] that centers almost exclusively on Steve Ballmer "Fucking Killing" everything and anything; and Steve Ballmer's Hitlist[6]. This is an example of both a running gag and an in-joke.

This paragraph may (barely) belong in an article about Uncyclopedia or about techie humor, but it is in no way significant information about Ballmer himself, and does not belong here. -- Jmabel | Talk 07:08, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

Fucking Eric Schmidt ...

There doesn't seem to be any consensus above as how much detail should be gone into recounting the incident with Schmidt. Previously it was

Mark Lucovsky has claimed that on hearing that he (Lucovsky) was about to leave Microsoft for Google "Mr. Ballmer picked up a chair and threw it across the room hitting a table in his office. Mr. Ballmer then said: 'Fuckin Eric Schmidt is a fucking pussy. I'm going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to fucking kill Google,'" then resumed trying to persuade Lucovsky to stay at Microsoft. Ballmer has described this as a "gross exaggeration of what actually took place."

Changed by 203.218.44.152 (talk, contribs) to:

Mark Lucovsky has claimed that on hearing that he (Lucovsky) was about to leave Microsoft for Google, Ballmer threw a violent and destructive rage, swearing and throwing furniture across the room. Shortly after, he then resumed trying to persuade Lucovsky to stay at Microsoft. Ballmer has described this as a "gross exaggeration of what actually took place."

It seems to me the quote is relevant and should be kept. The new version doesn't even mention Schmidt. What do people think? Ethan0 21:06, 12 November 2005 (UTC)

I don't care either way, except that it must be clear that Ballmer described Lucovsky's description as an exaggeration, not Wikipedia's. -- Jmabel | Talk 02:24, 13 November 2005 (UTC)
  • It is extremely unlikely for a person with Steve Ballmer's rank, position, and intelligence to ever speak like a soap-opera watching teenager. I will underline the Lucovsky. Patchouli 22:51, 10 June 2006 (UTC)
I also added a the citation link ([citation needed]); perhaps Mark Lucovsky himself can corroborate this quotation on his weblog.Patchouli 22:57, 10 June 2006 (UTC)
Can you help me understand what sort of citation you're looking for? There are two citations, including one with an image of the court document, already in the article on the same line you requested the cite. It seems for certain that the claim was made by Mr. Lucovsky, and for certain that Mr. Ballmer denies it. A more viable question might be "does the second hand quote add value and context to the article"? Kuru talk 23:27, 10 June 2006 (UTC)
  • I hadn't checked the external links. Now that I have seen a court document inset, I will not tamper with the quotation.Patchouli 22:31, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Vocal cord surgery

Do we have a citation for the comment about vocal cords requiring surgury? Adrian.baker 02:52, 6 January 2006 (UTC) --62.168.125.215 14:04, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Easily cited (if you search with a correct spelling of "vocal chords"): [7] [8] [9]. Feel free to add to article. -- Jmabel | Talk 03:04, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
According to this interview he did indeed have the surgery, but it had nothing to do with him shouting "windows", the cause was a cold. jaco♫plane 03:06, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

"Esteban Ballmeirez"

Is the Spanish for his name "Esteban Ballmeirez" (or Ballmierez)? --Shultz 06:34, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

One does not normally translate names. - Jmabel | Talk 03:32, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

Video with Steve , when is selling WIN1.0

whatfor is the link spoted as self-parody? | --62.168.125.215 14:04, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you are asking, since I have no idea what you mean by "spoted". The link is described as self-parody because that is what it is. It is Ballmer, some years later, effectively joking about how anemic Windows 1.0 actually was, by pretending to try to find positive things to say about it to sell it. - Jmabel | Talk 06:19, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Dates for "Dance Monkeyboy".

I think the "Monkeybody Dance" link is certainly relevant. It just needs a more objective context. It is part of Steve Ballmer's professional practice, as well the corporate culture of Microsoft. And, how about some dates? When was the conference? Perhaps a link to other examples of corporate fanaticism. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ulrich kinbote (talk • contribs) 22 May 2006.

iPod and DRM

"Ballmer has claimed that the most common format of music on iPods is "stolen". He advocates digital rights management and has said that "DRM is the future.""

Reading this article for the first time, these two sentences in the Personality and Criticism section stuck out as a bit random and superfluous. There is no context, and they aren't particularly enlightening in terms of Ballmer's personality, so they come across as sort of special-geek-interest criticisms. And while I don't argue with the stated facts, there is an implied POV that simply supporting DRM is inherently negative. Maybe more context would make it seem less so. The quote later in the article about the iPod seems to elucidate his stance on that product sufficiently.emw 05:59, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

About the videos.

Do we really need links to all of his antics and the remixes and that advertisers one which is probably a fake?

And I know this hasn't got much to do with the article, but I must say whoever it was who provided links for the vidoes has a brilliant sense of irony using Google Video. Crimson Shadow 01:23, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

I don't think what is here about the "antics" is excessive (and if "that advertisers one" refers to the Windows 1.0 thing, apparently it really is Ballmer doing a self-parody, and I think it is very notable: few, if any, of the world's leading businesspeople have ever done such a thing). Conversely, the article is incredibly short on content about his actual career and his role in turning Microsoft into an industry giant. The solution to this is not to shrink the content on his personality: it is to expand the rest of this and write a decent article on a man who is a captain of industry (even if he can be a bit of a goofball). - 19:22, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
Oh, sorry, I hadn't noticed the recently added "Advertisers, advertisers, advertisers." Yes, undoubtedly a fake; I can't watch streaming video where I am right now, but assuming it's a fake I'd get rid of it. - Jmabel | Talk 19:24, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

Censored.

I have restored the uncensored version of Ballmer's outburst, Wikipedia is not censored, that is a policy. A single article may not override established rules at the 'pedia. +Hexagon1 (t) 13:58, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

"So many errors"

There are so many errors concerning Ballmer's personal and professional lives on these pages that one could spend many hours changing them -- or simply recommend that you read the only extant biography of the man, Bad Boy Ballmer: The Man Who Rules Microsoft, rather that trust this site. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 150.131.81.43 (talk • contribs) 24 July 2006.

Thanks for the comment. I don't think it's much of an article, either, but I'm not aware of any actual errors. Could you identify anything that is factually wrong? - Jmabel | Talk 03:19, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Developers, developers...

I don't have the stomach (or the bandwidth) to check it out, but is this anonymous change accurate? - Jmabel | Talk 23:42, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

No, anyone who has seen the video can clearly see he says the word somewhere between 13 and 15 times. Looks like it's been reverted now anyway. - Tobz1000 11:37, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

Photo of ballmer

The photo of ballmer is pretty mean to be honest, he looks like some kind of pedophile.

It should be changed back to the previous image. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.178.192.195 (talk) 11:21, 1 February 2007 (UTC).

I agree in principle, but there's no solid reason to revert to an image which isn't free use. Also it's kinda funny. --Tobz1000 01:41, 4 February 2007 (UTC)
I can't say it's complimentary, but it catches him pretty well. If he wants a nicer one, he can always release a good picture under free license (though we know what Ballmer generally thinks of free licenses: communism! - Jmabel | Talk 21:52, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

wife or kids?

family? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.206.165.48 (talk) 05:32, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

Married. For ages. Three sons. [10] Wife's name, Connie Snyder, is in the article (uncited, but correct), but might not have been when you asked. - Jmabel | Talk 23:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Why does....

Monkey boy redirect to this page?--Planetary 14:59, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

It is a nickname he's had, but if the article doesn't mention & explain the nickname, then the redirect is pretty useless. - Jmabel | Talk 23:39, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
It's there, a mention & link to Dance Monkeyboy in the article; perhaps Monkey boy should redirect straight to Dance Monkeyboy? - Jmabel | Talk 23:45, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Monkey boy no longer redirects to Steve Ballmer, instead it redirects to Chimera (film which obviously makes more sense to me in terms of encyclopedic content. 213.89.174.32 (talk) 12:05, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Conflict with GNU/Linux developers

Please try to better that part(english)

Understand me not

"Show us the code and exist one website supporting : Show us the code."

What??? If anybody else gets it, please rephrase the sentence (it's at the bottom) to make it readable. --132.69.234.73 18:51, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Ballmer's Net Worth

The Wiki opening paragraphs don't make much sense. It says Ballmer in 1981 owned 8% of the company and he now owns 4% which is correct.

http://www.microsoft.com/msft/reports/proxy2006.mspx

It then also says he sold 8.4% in 2003. Is that supposed to mean in early 2003 he owned 12% of the company and sold 8% and retains 4%? If so that means he sold $30 billion worth of stock and he is now worth $45 billion. If he only sold 8.4% of his total, that's still about $1 billion worth, and what happened to his 1981 8% ownership?

Either way the article is wrong. It places his net worth at $15 billion, that needs updating. At the current stock price of $30 a share and his holdings of 408 million shares, this alone gets him to $15 billion. Let alone his huge 2003 sell off.

The point is, CEO pay has gone mad. How does a glorified manager of a company have net worth of half the founder, inventor and former owner of the company? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Mjdon67 (talk • contribs) 20:42, 9 May 2007 (UTC).

gain billionaire status from a company which he did not found?

In the roberto goinzueta article it says: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Goizueta

Became the first CEO to gain billionaire status from a company which he did not found.

That's the same claim in this article about ballmer

Why did he act like that?

I think showing the videos without explaining that presentations to up company morale are common is irresponsible and unencyclopaedic. The bigger a company is, the more people it has, the more they hire life coaches and motivational speakers and so on. The videos shown in context do not seem that strange.--Dwarf Kirlston 19:02, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Being normal (or not "strange") is not the same thing as being typical. Just because many large corporations do such things, does not mean that the vast *VAST* majority of Americans (let alone the rest of the world, which Wikipedia caters to) have an understanding of such things. This video shows off the insanity that is that world. The only reason to think it would be "irresponsible", or "unencyclopedic", is if you thought it portrayed itself, and the corporate world negatively. If, as you claim, its "typical", then to present the facts would hardly be negative, or "irresponsible". In other words... just because it makes someone/something/some system look bad... doesn't mean it isn't appropriate for wikipedia. Even Hitler has a Wikipedia page. -- Hossrex (talk) 12:37, 5 December 2007 (UTC)
I am saying it is typical, normal, etc. Vast majority of people don't understand anything :D - just kidding.
--
The fact that "the video shows insanity that is the world" should not be misrepresented as the fact that "the video shows insanity that is Steve Ballmer" - agreed?
--Kiyarrllston 00:22, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

structure

the structuring of the much of this article is broken up into small incomplete sentences, what the hell, someone fix this crud, i am too lazy and already fixed some sections --FranzSS 00:22, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

Incomplete sentences? you might mean that it's broken up into separate paragraphs
- but some things work better as lists.
Pre Microsoft for example has the dates lined up.
If there is a nicer way to put things please go right ahead,
do not just because you like blocks of text--Dwarf Kirlston 01:50, 6 November 2007 (UTC)
I see - you meant short sentences. I think a glaring one is "he grew up in detroit" but I do not know how to fix it.--Dwarf Kirlston 03:44, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

More Sources

I found through google books this quote from "Forbes Greatest Technology Stories: Inspiring Tales of the Entrepreneurs and ..." - (Page 251) by Jeffrey S. Young - Business & Economics - 1998 - 368 pages

--Keerllston 19:38, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Stated intention to destroy Google

Should the article include the point that after apparently vowing to destroy Google, Ballmer and Co. now have effectively conceded that they can only hope to try by buying Yahoo and buying instead of developing competitive, web-based technology. He was wrong about the iPhone market share, and the supposed success of the Zune. (and XBOX 360 is now screwed by Bluray).

His model: 1. Stuff Redmond campus with graduates. 2. Embrace, extend, extinguish. 3. Profit.

doesnt work any more. They failed to destroy Java and Javascript. Now Google with Writely, Youtube and Blogger, and Apple and Firefox are destroying Microsoft. At last. --81.105.243.17 (talk) 21:54, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

The above could be part of the article -If backed up with sources, and if included with proper encyclopedic tone. - can you come up with exact quotes?
I do not think "[...] now screwed by Bluray" or "[...] are destroying Microsoft" is even true, you might be referring to current events that I am not familiar with.
Please do not use this page to discuss Balmer, or Microsoft. Doing so does not help build wikipedia.
--Kiyarrllston 14:47, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

I changed his image

Guys, I'm new here, I changed the image. please do sth to make it stable Sina6002 (talk) 13:18, 10 February 2008 (UTC) . —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sina6002 (talk • contribs) 13:08, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

Uhh, you picked probably the creepiest image of the guy EVER. Can we change it to something that isn't pedo-tastic? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.228.27.155 (talk) 18:23, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

CEO date

4.224.12.150 is asserting that Steve Ballmer officially became CEO in 2008. According to his his official bio, the correct date is 2000. This is independent of his actual day-to-day management responsibilities. I'm putting back the 2000 date, using the bio as a reference. If you disagree, provide evidence here. Superm401 - Talk 21:30, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Parents

Any basis for this uncited change on his parents? Not that the previous version was cited, either. - Jmabel | Talk 23:15, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

Chair Throwing / Vow to Kill Google?

Should add the expletives toward google + chair throwing incident?

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39216371,00.htm

It is what the guy is most famous for in many corners of the web. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fippy Darkpaw (talk • contribs) 17:57, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

And why is that encyclopedic? -- Alexf42 21:33, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Egging added

Added info about his recent egging in Budapest. Excuse me, Steve Ballmer and Microsoft. Gregorik (talk) 19:55, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

removed as unencyclopedic. A small incident and a good case of recentism. -- Alexf42 21:36, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Ballmer internet game

A new internet game featuring Ballmer appeared on the net recently, [11]. I've seen some newspaper coverage of this but not that much. Hobartimus (talk) 18:21, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

linus torvalds

the section Linus Torvalds I think should be renamed to open source because first of all it mentions GPL whiv=ch was written by Stallman not Torvlads. Torvallds wrote 2% of the kernela


True. I don't know if he ever said anything about Linus himself. Rename it if you wantTowel401 (talk) 01:24, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

Wow...

Doesnt he just look evil in that pic? lol awesome. ΤΕΡΡΑΣΙΔΙΩΣ(Ταλκ) 06:14, 4 July 2008 (UTC)

"I'm going to fucking kill Google"

I don't think Google should be destroyed until MS and Ballmer can deliver a better search engine than them. And the Googleplex is a very good place to work at, what will happen to Google's offices if Steve could purchase Google? I know, that company is an enemy of MS. But if Ballmer was a shrewd businessman, he would have acquired Google 4-5 years ago - when Google's revenue was smaller. 213.89.174.239 (talk) 21:36, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

Ballmer's chair-throwing incident

The whole sentence reads: "In 2005, Mark Lucovsky alleged in a sworn statement to a Washington state court that Ballmer became highly enraged upon hearing that Lucovsky was about to leave Microsoft for Google, picked up his chair and threw it across his office"

Now, the question is: Where did the chair-throwing take place? Ballmer's office or Lucovsky's office? Was Lucovsky visiting Ballmer's office, or was Ballmer visiting Lucovsky's office? I'm asking for clarification of this sentence. 213.89.174.239 (talk) 21:59, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

Swiss honorary citizenship

I edited the "On October 2, 2006, Ballmer was awarded honorary citizenship of Lausanne, Switzerland." to "On October 4, 2007, Ballmer was awarded honorary citizenship of Lausen, Switzerland." because this Swiss news article (in German language) (http://194.209.226.170/pdfdata/bund/2007/10/05/BVBU-011-0510-2.pdf) and both the English and German Lausen Wikipedia articles mentioned Ballmer's honorary citizenship of Lausen, while the English and German Wikipedia articles of Lausanne (a different Swiss city) didn't mention Ballmer at all. (89.217.61.107 (talk) 15:56, 24 July 2008 (UTC))

I've removed that. In [12], the mayor of Lausen is cited as follows:

Steve Ballmer ist jedoch nicht, wie überall kolportiert, Ehrenbürger der Gemeinde Lausen. «Steve Ballmer war tatsächlich mal hier zu Besuch und wir haben ihm ein Heimatbuch überreicht. Die Ehrenbürgerschaft hat er aber nicht», so Gemeindepräsident Heinz Dill.

Translation:

Contrary to persistent reports, Steve Ballmer is not, however, a honorary citizen of Lausen. "Steve Ballmer did visit us once and we gave him a local history book. But he has no honorary citizenship", says Mayor Heinz Dill.

 Sandstein  14:22, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

Children discrepancy

The sidebar on the right side (below the picture) shows "Children: 1," yet the "Family" section of the article says "They have three children." I have no idea what the truth is (nor do I care) but it would be good to have the article not disagree with itself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.130.10.0 (talk) 07:59, 25 September 2008 (UTC) wat

Removed some vandalism from 216.246.142.87

I removed some vandlism on the page from the 17th. Happened across it by accident while looking up Ballmer's work history. Eneref 19:57, 17 November 2008

Salary

Currently under salary we have a footnote but no number. I leave it to someone more actively working on the article to sort this out. I mostly drop by here these days to look for BLP issues and vandalism. - Jmabel | Talk 19:00, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

oh please

Can someone please explain to me why the alleged chair-throwing incident is not only included in this article but not sourced? If you wanna link the zdnet article, fine, but that's as childish and petty as including the "toe-picking" video in the Richard Stallman article, or citing his "support" of pedophilia: http://www.stallman.org/archives/2006-may-aug.html#05%20June%202006%20%28Dutch%20paedophiles%20form%20political%20party%29 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.177.72.205 (talk) 09:22, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

This article is a frequent subject of vandalism.

I suggest we semi-protect (or protect) this article to keep the roaming vandals away. He's just A Common Man! (talk) 19:06, 28 March 2010 (UTC)

Jewish?

Is he Jewish or is he simply labelled so because of his mother? I can't seem to find a source for this--Львівське (talk) 06:27, 1 October 2010 (UTC)

His mother is Jewish

That would make him fully Jewish, not just of Jewish descent. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.202.160.188 (talk) 07:14, 9 December 2011 (UTC)

And his father is Swiss and non-Jewish - so how does that make Steve fully Jewish?--Львівське (говорити) 19:12, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

Origin of viral videos

It would be good for some kind of context if we had information in the article on when the videos are from (i.e., what kind of event, and which year or at which point in the Windows release cycle or whatever). So for the "get on your feet"/"dance monkeyboy" video it's clearly between 1989 (when the song playing came out) and 2006 when that particular version was uploaded to YouTube, but I'd like to know what I'm watching exactly. Is he celebrating the release of Windows ME or Microsoft Bob or what? Same goes for "developers, developers". Beorhtwulf (talk) 15:27, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

Légion d'honneur

The article states that Ballmer is a Légion d'honneur recipient, but it doesn't give any info about why or when he received the award. Furthermore, the citation is a Youtube video in French. Attys (talk) 15:47, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

Nick Names

Someone should point out that he looks like Uncle Fester. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.9.199.241 (talk) 01:46, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

A.B.

Since when is the Bachelor of Arts abbreviated "A.B."? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.230.124.140 (talk) 10:01, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

If you look at the B.A article it's on the first line: A Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA, A.B., or AB), from the Latin artium baccalaureus,. IRWolfie- (talk) 12:11, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
Original poster's comment still stands. B.A. is the contemporary standard abbreviation. --Xaliqen (talk) 23:02, 6 June 2012 (UTC)
Harvard calls it an A.B. (http://www.harvard.edu/degree-abbreviations). Fat&Happy (talk) 00:09, 7 June 2012 (UTC)
Yeah, I thought that might be the case, pretty much expected it to be the case, actually. I'll refrain from commenting further on this particular issue. --Xaliqen (talk) 21:59, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

The Admin's Barnstar
He's a great administrator. Jigkt (talk) 00:36, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

Steve Ballmer

"Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia" vs. "Simple English Wikipedia" has what appears to be different factual information especially in the area of education for Ballmer.

This is my first post sooo- HELP! SEA P A (talk) 16:04, 23 August 2013 (UTC)

Microsoft shareholdings

The figures in this sentence don't add up:

When Microsoft was incorporated in 1981, Ballmer owned 8 percent of the company. In 2003, Ballmer sold 8.3% of his shareholdings, leaving him with a 4% stake in the company.[15]

If he sold 50 per cent of his shares that would take him from 8 per cent to 4 per cent. I looked at the reference (yahoo finance website) and couldn't find any info on Ballmer's holdings... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.64.137.95 (talk) 02:24, 3 November 2013 (UTC)

But he never sold 50% he sold "8.3% of his shareholdings". Does "8.3% of his shareholdings" mean 8.3% of total shareholdings? Maybe he got another 4.3% of the company over the years. It says "a 4% stake in the company" not 4% in shares, some of his stake could have been in the form of bonds etc. 31.185.241.136 (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 13:19, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

Yahoo Link

The tables in Yahoo link, http://finance.yahoo.com/q/mh?s=MSFT, no longer include Steve Ballmer because he is no longer in the company. His shares will be counted amongst those owned by the general public. This link needs replacing with one that gives his details. 31.185.241.136 (talk) 13:45, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

It would be preferable to retain Ballmer as a insider to show the percent of holdings controlled by management, directors and former management as compared to the true general public. Mjdon67 (talk) 18:08, 24 June 2014 (UTC)

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