BusinessWeek’s Arik Hesseldahl, in an open letter to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, says that Microsoft’s unsolicited offer for Yahoo! is “a profoundly bad idea” and that Ballmer has no focus:
So who has focus? That other Steve. You know, the turtle-necked guy in California who keeps annoying you by selling iPods and computers that typically don’t run on Windows. You could learn a lot from him. Focus saved his company from oblivion. Apple (AAPL) does what it’s good at, and it expands into new areas carefully. (Examples: iPod, iTunes music store, Apple retail store, iPhone.) Consider this: With sales data showing that Mac computers are growing more popular than ever among consumers, you might think it’s a perfect time for Apple to ride that momentum and go after corporate computing. But it won’t. Why? Apple knows it wouldn’t work because you have the corporate market all tied up with your pals Dell (DELL) and HP.
And why is the Mac growing more popular among consumers? Well, let’s be honest. Windows Vista isn’t exactly winning you many friends despite all the extra time you took to “perfect” it. (How many deadlines did you miss again?) At the same time, Apple’s cleaning your clock in the smartphone business—the iPhone is now the second most popular smartphone in the U.S., behind the BlackBerry (RIMM). I haven’t heard anyone talk enthusiastically about Windows Mobile, since…well, since there’s been a Windows Mobile.
You know what would be a bold move, Steve? Admitting that Microsoft doesn’t belong in the music player business, or the search business, or the advertising business, or the automotive entertainment business. The Zune? It’s a joke. Kill it before you embarrass yourself further. And are the combined forces of Yahoo and Microsoft really going to make a dent in the Google search advertising juggernaut? That’s like asking two fifth-graders to play Kobe Bryant in a game of two-on-one. The results will speak for themselves.
Much more in the full article – highly recommended – here.
Ballmer is a clown. He is nothing more than an example of what you get when you appoint a CEO based upon a fortuitous dorm assignment instead of upon actual ability and talent. May Ballmer remain Microsoft CEO for as long as it takes.
All the pieces are there.
All enterprise needs to do is wake up and realize that it doesn’t need Exchange crack and 80% of the IT staff.
You know what would be a bold move, Steve? Admitting that Microsoft doesn’t belong in the music player business, or the search business, or the advertising business, or the automotive entertainment business
That is so true. Imagine if they really focused their brainpower and cashola on doing great things with Windows… It would be frightening. Right now everyone thinks MS is a joke, and many of the 90% who are chained to them wish they weren’t.
MS better get some vision, and fast, or they will be toast. I’ll also add that it’s hard to imagine Ballmer still being there in three years.
” . . . it’s hard to imagine Ballmer still being there in three years.”
Eventually, someone’s going to catch him digging up corpses for new body parts. Then he’ll end up where he should be – licking the heads off chickens at the circus freak show and a human salt lick for the wild animals.
X is for XBox
Y is for Yahoo!
Z is for Zune…..
I think Microslap need to go back & learn their A B C’s
“May Ballmer remain Microsoft CEO for as long as it takes.
“ (MDN take)
I would have liked to see the sentence finished:” … to drive Microsoft into the ground.”
Aw come on. Cut Mr. Ballmer some slack. It’s not that easy to be CEO of a huge Goliath. All those lowly minions are in constant need of direction. Not much time for wise cogent analysis of where to take the company—Just have to make something sound good until tomorrow. Spend money when you’re in a funk; works for relieving lots of stress.
In reality, good CEOs are rare. Mr. Ballmer may be smart, but clearly he is not up to the leadership role required for a company whose product affects the lives of so many.
People talk about Microsoft and Ballmer and the Yahoo thing. Good – Bad – who knows.
The key is you have to listen to Ballmer.
This new “Q” phone from Motorola is only $99.
It will do music.
It will do e-mail.
It will do…..”
See, he does not get it. “it will do”. Do well? Do easy? See he is selling features, lists on the outside of the box when people want it to actually work.
Now, if you are a techie and can program your own VCR, well ok then. Build your own computer? FIne. But the average person here has other things on their plate. They are not buying stuff cause they like to tinker.
Apple, it looks great and it just works. PERIOD.
That is why Microsoft is falling so far behind.
See
“It will do music.
It will do e-mail.
It will do…..”
That’s a bunch of do do from a dodo.
“But Hesseldahl, did indeed rip Ballmer a new one.”
Microsoft Orifice 2008.
@ en
Right on. Good analysis. Rhetorically strong, too. “It will do.” You can just hear B-man saying that:
“Is Vista good enough?
-It will do.
“Is the Zune going to work for what people need?
-It will do.
“Will the aquisition of Yahoo differentiate us the way we need to?
-It will do.
That’s not the response of a leader who gets it.
As to @NeonRed and cutting Ballmer slack, that’s like people saying we should cut Bush some slack. The truth is that we have a nation of 350 Million people. If you’re taking on a position of extreme influence you had better be a one in a hundred million type person. Otherwise get the fsck of the way.
There are plenty of excellent jobs out there for average and above average people. I’ll cut them slack in those jobs. But I have little slack to give to either of these B-men. And I seriously think they should both get out of the way asap for everyone’s good.
If Microsoft does buy Yahoo, it won’t be able to afford any other significant acquisitions for a long time. That’s good. And maybe having $20 billion less in the bank and some debt will give Microsoft some of the “focus” it needs.
I remember when Hesseldahl took over writing the BW Mac column, and people were a bit skeptical about his Mac perspective. He seems to have totally drunk the Apple kool-aid.
The truth is that Microsoft has no LEADER. Ballmer nor Gates have been proper leaders.
It is run by a board on top of a committee on top of committees on top of sub-committees. Which is a recipe for.. well let’s see… Vista, Zune, Office, Mobile…etc etc.
The only thing missing from Zune Tang®’s comment is the word “ideation”. Somehow he managed “synergistic” and “paradigm” in one post (one sentence, even!) without ideation!
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Love ya, Zuney!
Is this true or what….
” Instead, your efforts on the Web have tended to focus more on bending the Web to your will than making your software enhance it.”
Well said Arik.
Only thing more disastrous than a MicroSoft/Yahoo merger would be Monkey Boy becoming a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.”
What I want to know is what MDN has against clowns. They only want you to have a good time! When’s the last time you heard of a clown throwing a chair in anger?
Putting irons into the fire is easy…punting and taking them out of the fire is where pride gets in the way and the difficulty starts. Work within your areas of ability. Punting many times gives you much better field position…otherwise everyone would go for it on 4th down.
“Now this is unlikely, but what if the MicroWho merger is a success? What if MS, over time, keeps 90% of PCs and 80% of Office apps and 80% of corporate servers, but also gets 80% of consumer email (Yahoo, HotMail), 60% of online advertising, 90% of chat (MSN, Yahoo Messenger), etc?”
—————————————–
@ HolyMackerel,
That’s what people on this forum fear, and this is what is most likely to happen. The feel this coming, so they bash MS in reaction… they fear MS. Lack of confidence.
Steve Jobs said one day “for Apple to win, MS doesn’t have to lose”. The guy was right. Apple is just playing to dominate in a new field today.
Weather outlook for Seattle:
Low flying chairs
If Ballmer truly “love this company”…then he would step down and let the next generation
revive the company. Romney stepped down to do what was best for the party rather than pour more millions into his campaign in a possibly hopeless effort. Smart business move and McCain can focus on Hillary and Obama now instead of him.
Hey, folks, one more time Zune Tang is MDN’s Colbert Report.
It’s parody.
It is all because Balmer is a salesman and salesmen can’t lead companies. It has been proven time and time again..
“they fear MS”
Bullshit. I don’t fear them. Tolerating mediocrity is a sad fact of life.
It’s not fear. It’s disgust. I bash them because the company deserves it.
“Only thing more disastrous than a MicroSoft/Yahoo merger would be Monkey Boy becoming a contestant on ‘Dancing with the Stars.'”
Or auditioning for Chippendales.