CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LXII: Steve Ballmer publicly ridicules Microsoft employee with iPhone, threatens to smash it
By Thomas Ricker 
posted September 11th 2009 6:08AM
posted September 11th 2009 6:08AM
Not every man was born with common sense. And anyone who's ever seen Steve Ballmer take a stage knows that you don't want to get in the way of the emotionally-charged big man when the curtain opens. So we're not terribly surprised to learn that Steve grabbed an iPhone he saw during his big entrance to a private Microsoft company meeting held at Seattle's Safeco Field. Apparently, the hapless employee (allegedly from the Windows group) was trying to snap a photo of his boss when Ballmer grabbed the device and made some "funny comments" met by boos and jeers from Microsoft's employees. Steve then set it on the ground and pretended to stomp on it before walking away -- later teasing the employee during his presentation by noting that he hadn't forgotten him. Good times, we're sure, and nothing rallies the troops like a common enemy... except perhaps the camaraderie that comes in knowing that you've created a game-changing device.
We even have a photograph from the actual iPhone supposedly snapped while Steve Ballmer was brandishing it overhead. We can't say for sure if it's real, in fact, that could be the guy from Lost. See it after the break.
We even have a photograph from the actual iPhone supposedly snapped while Steve Ballmer was brandishing it overhead. We can't say for sure if it's real, in fact, that could be the guy from Lost. See it after the break.
The iPhone's success clearly angers Steve Balmer, not so much because of its success now but what it probably means for the future.
It will be very difficult for Microsoft to duplicate its Windows Desktop Monopoly in the mobile space. With Android, Blackberry, Palm OS, Symbian and iPhone it looks like consumers will have real choice in the mobile space, and mobile computing is the future.
Mobile computing is a vague term, having smart phones is the now, and actually 'computing' you'd do on laptops, and MS is covering that segment fine already, although apple's marketshare shot up in one year from around 4% to more than 6%, so if apple keeps growing with 30% a year MS is in deep trouble (joking on wrong use of statistics).
"Windows Desktop Monopoly"
Please explain how it is MS fault that a majority of the world uses their OS inspite of readily available, free, stable alternatives. Disclaimer: I am not necessarily a proponent of MS. They do a lot of things that piss me off (pricing, product activation, blah blah blah). I just like to debate and hear both sides of an issue. So please reply. Anyone.
Ballmer is scarily crazy!
Seriously guys? That image?
It's just plain insulting to Donkey Kong.
Great, now my iPhone is going to panic when it gets within a 100 feet of Ballmer........
"this was lowest ranked like an hour ago... talk about a bi-polar audience"
I guess all the mac-users fail to comprehend what happens to comments after they get pushed off the first page.
Luckily reasonable people, like windows- and linux-users do.
[/unfounded hate]
@Engadgets reply system:
You suck.
But he didn't smash it. He pretended to stomp on it, while everyone watched on the jumbotron. Which is exactly what I'd expect Steve Ballmer to do. He made fun of the guy in front of everyone, which probably gave someone in HR a palpitation, but no actual harm was done.
Wouldn't the common sense be about not using an IPHONE to take a pictures of the CEO of MICROSOFT during a private company meeting??? it would be like drinking a Pepsi right in front of the CEO of the Coca Cola Company whilst at a company meeting, not the smartest thing to do if you ask me.
I once was invited to attend lunch with the Board of directors of a Local Pepsi Bottling company. When the server asked what hey would like to drink, they of course asked for Pepsi, when the Server asked if Coke would be OK in lieu of Pepsi, you can guess they said no. Even though I myself was not a Pepsi employee, and I was merely invited to the lunch on their dime, you can sure as hell bet I did not order a Coke. In talking to some of the underling employees later on, they said that being seen with a coke product was a bad idea, like worried for their job kind of bad idea.
There is such a thing as brand loyalty, and a lack of brand loyalty by an employee of a company can cause embarrassment. I am sure Engadget wouldn't hesitate to throw an article up about any high ranking MS employee with a iPhone or Android phone. Remember the Google CEO with a Blackberry? That can definitely be extrapolated down the line. It ain't cool to work for a company and then proudly display your aversion to their brand in front of the CEO. The kid who did it was an idiot, and I commend Ballmer for having humor about it. At least MS isn't as bad as when Chrysler was requiring employees that did not drive Chrysler products to park in a different lot and take a shuttle to work.
In my work environment, I have numerous brands I have to at least show tacit loyalty to, and certainly not disdain. I can assure you that there have been situations in which simply wearing a shirt with a competing brand name on it in certain scenarios (in front of the CEO, at an event) would have undoubtedly gotten me fired out of embarrassment caused to the company. A simple good ribbing and mock dissapointment from the CEO would be a positive reaction in my opinion. Of course I am not stupid and wouldn't have even considered something that stupid.
Boss or not... you snatch something out of my hand, and we have a problem...
I like how people talk some of the dumbest shit. "If my boss, did that to me, I would.." You would do NOTHING! He's called "Boss" for a reason you stupid ass. You would chuckle, walk away and when you clocked out at the end of the day, you would be glad you still had a job....if you had a shred of common sense. Morons....
I wondered if I should even reply, as your ignorance seems to speak for itself; but clearly reading comprehension is not your strong suit today. You mis-quoted me. I said, "...we would have a problem." I dont have to resort to the threat of physical violence to get my point across. Lawyers and PR nightmares do a fine job; in fact they are the reason I own my own business today; And poor soul you are if you have a job where you "clock out" and assume that everyone else does. Where do you work in a coal mine?
(no offense to ACTUAL coal miners who are out working and not trolling gadget blog comments
...and that picture looks like former NYC Mayor Ed Koch
what is with all you twilight zone residents who claim that "if steve jobs did this, he would be met with praise, and fear for his health"?
Scan engadget for the last 2 days and look for the 99:1 ratio of Steve Jobs is a liar who needs to die comments.
Revisionist history... lame.
What's with all the people here acting like Ballmer isn't getting a fair shake.
The guy acts like a doofus on stage. So we're making fun of him for it. That's all it is. It doesn't mean we're attacking his business sense. We're not attacking his family. And if Ballmer didn't want to have people making fun of him for acting like a goof on stage, he could simply stop acting like a goof on stage.
Lighten up, guys. You're getting butt-hurt over nothing.
How can we positively ID this as Ballmer if we can't see the pit stains?
this guy deserves al lthe scorn and hate in the world. say what you want - but, this is THE man you'd want to bop on the head for steaming rolling thousands of companies into submission, and also the countless nightmares people face due to crappy windows programmes.
somesay he's the best who got xp and other stuff working ? heck that probably would have resulted if there were a similar person on board - xp was good because of the engineering, not marketing. 360 made it to this day because there was this big "monopoly" money from windows, same with every other MS products riding the windows+office tax the world pays. again, if there's one ruthless pig who collects other like minded nasty pigs - its ballsmer.
God forbid Engadget, here's a story that isn't complimentary of the iPhone. Quick get the gasoline and matches, we're gonna burn someone. Yawn. Until Apple gives me a million bucks and tickles my balls, I'm not going to be dropping to my knees to suck them off. Engadget, I suggest you do the same thing.
What would Engadget be if they only published 10 iPhone related stories a day instead of 50?
I was there. This did happen. Those of us who aren't Microsoft employees didn't exactly laugh, but there was a whole lot of head shaking going on.
That they are above Apple products?
Well... I'm pretty sure they were ALL just joking around.
If he had REALLY broken the iPhone by stomping on it... I would have laughed pretty hard...
then thought he was utterly crazy.
who cares everybody knows apple makes better products so why not have the ipone
And I suppose there's just no chance it was a joke.....
Its called company loyalty ! Imagine if Sony had an event, and it's CEO caught a division employee using a Panasonic camera ? Yeah Microsoft has been rather scizopherenic as of late. But I don't blame they a business. They looking into new markets. They can't be a software company forever.
Steve Balmer is a classless, clueless ass & will be the demise of Microsoft.
OK Mark Anderson & look_around_you, commence with the defense of your indefensible man-crush.
This guy isn't fit to roll around in Jobs' feces.
If Microsoft actually made a user friendly mobile similar to the iPhone he might have a point (although not the right to be a jerk face to one of his own employees). The point is that no one does yet and in the crowd Microsoft is far behind everyone else, right next to Nokia.
That's not even Steve Ballmer, I don't know how you even thought it was.
I am a Microsoft employee, and while watching the event live, I had these feelings:
- Ballmer should have just actually smashed it like a rock star with a cheap guitar. A few $hundred phone is nothing to MS or Ballmer (even the employee probably can easily afford a new phone) and the story and gimicky morale boost would be priceless.
- We take pride in eating our own "dogfood". Its how we put ourselves in the place of our customers, find problems and bugs, invent cool new features, and make world class products. Those employees who wuss out and use more established, already-released, or competing products deserve ridicule because they are not contributing to the improvement of our own MS products.
- If an employee can't take the heat for using a competing product in the front row of the entire company meeting IN THE CEO's FACE, he should have kept his phone in his pocket. If he actually had the balls to pull it out and flaunt it, more power to him, because getting riled up, frustrated, and angry about the competition is a great motivator.
- I do sleep good at night knowing my MS stock will continue paying fat dividends . All those smart phones (including iphones) connect to mail, web, and application servers somewhere. MS will be making money off of people using smart devices in many ways for a long time.
- Rick
This is not Balmer. :(
http://onioning.com/eskim
Things like this happen all the time in American Motor plants. Drive a Civic to work, which happens to be Ford, and well..., start thinking about making a claim on your insurance for a smashed windshield. It's funny, because I doubt the same thing happens at Toyota plants. They are probably sorrier for you than angry that you showed up in a Sebring. Probably leave donations in pity. (Come on, american or not.. its a Sebring man, a Se-Bring) Which is probably what Apple employees would think if you showed up with a Dell. (Or clutch their Macbooks in fear it will contract a virus)
Jealousy is a sad, violent emotion it seems.
So what? I do the same thing to my friends.
what camaraderie are you talking about? Steve Jobs can't feel that proud all by himself.
great work as always, thomas.
what a dumb fuck.
Doesn't surprise me one bit, I'd expect this kind of behavior from him and the rest of Microsoft. That company gets more and more pathetic everyday, I really hope the Zune, Windows and the 360 fail big time.