WTF? Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone

September 12th, 2009 by Mayank Agarwal

48 Comments Share

steve balmer iphone microsft employee WTF? Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhoneDo you know a CEO who jumps around on stage like a monkey, spits totally senseless (oops… vision-less) remarks and then licks them. Ok, leave that… do you know of any man who loses his cool on site of that great gadget called iPhone. I will give you a complete package -Steve Ballmer! This is not surprising considering his earlier records and the way he behaves in public. Apparently, Ballmer was making an entrance to a private Microsoft company meeting (in his own unusual way – slapping hands and running around) when he discovered an employee snapping his pic with an iPhone. According to TechFlash

Steve Balmer Slamming The Employee

Steve Balmer Slamming The Employee

“Ballmer grabbed the Apple device from the employee and made some funny remarks as everyone booed. Then he put it on the ground and pretended to stomp on it, before walking away.”

He was not done, later in his presentation he again referred to the episode. Poor poor employee.
Various tweets from MS employees present in the meeting confirm this. Engadget even have the pic (form the same iPhone) when Ballmer was teasing the employee.

That said and done what I don’t understand is how people can call this “in good humour”. This is downright CHEAP.

Follow-Up

Ars Technica:   Ballmer makes a scene over employee’s iPhone by Emil Protalinski

AppleInsider:   Ballmer teases iPhone-toting employee; iTunes LP comic book by Slash Lane

Silicon Alley Insider:   Ballmer Snatches Employee’s iPhone At Microsoft Meeting, Pretends To Stomp On It by Dan Frommer

Engadget: CE-Oh no he didn’t!  Part LXII: Steve Ballmer publicly ridicules Microsoft employee with iPhone, threatens to smash it by Thomas Ricker

CrunchBase Information on Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer
Information provided by CrunchBase

Image Credit : iphonealley

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48 Responses to “WTF? Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone”


  1. Jack

    6 months ago

    ROFL…As you said nothing new… Ballmer is full of SH**

    Reply

    • Anndd

      6 months ago

      Oh yeah is it… and guy full of shit is responsible for great products like Windows, Windows mobile, Office..? You are full of SH**

      Reply

      • Jack

        6 months ago

        ROFL again… “great products like Windows, Windows mobile, Office..” did you said great? Do you live in a parallel universe or some thing? why not try Mac Snow Lepord, iPhone, iPod…

        Reply

        • Anndd

          6 months ago

          right… that is the problem no one buys those Apple stuff… go and get your numbers right.. Mac is way way below Windows in terms of sale….. and honestly speaking Steve ( i mean Jobs) is a bigger fucker than Steve (i mean Ballmer).

          Reply

          • Kawazoe Masahiro

            6 months ago

            I think you might want to get YOUR numbers right.

            Try to name just one phone, including it’s previous versions, that:
            1. use Windows Mobile as its OS
            2. can be upgraded to it’s latest version (aka 6.5) from any hardware revision
            3. that sold over 30 millions units

            Now try to name just one notebook brand that:
            1. Offer you a 100% metal casing
            2. Use DDR3 memory and 1066 mHz FSB
            3. Offer you a non-TN LCD screen
            4. Has up to 8h of battery
            4. Has a 91% market share in the $1000+ notebook market.

            Yup! Both of them are Apple branded.

            Reply

            • Jim Danby

              6 months ago

              Hmm. Hard to name such a phone because people have lots of choice when choosing a Windows OS based phone and Apply people don’t because Apple choose to license less (at all?)

              91% share in the $1000+ notebook market. Are you having a laugh??? Although I do note that Apple have higher shares in more expensive products because their products are overpriced.

              Reply

            • Mayank Agarwal
              (Twitter: @ mayank25may )

              6 months ago

              totally agree!

              Reply

      • Kawazoe Masahiro

        6 months ago

        You should not talk if you don’t know what you’re saying. First, it was not him who designed the Office suite. Second, he’s the one at the head of the Windows Vista fail. You call that great products?

        On the other side, Jack is right about Mac OS X and iWork which are very functional product and are sometimes better than their Microsoft counterpart.

        Reply

        • Anndd

          6 months ago

          oops…. when did CEO started designing software? did Steve Jobs designed iPod, iPhone, OSX? And yeah every company has good products and some times not so good products… Even apple… remember Mac when it first came out?
          What i fail to understand is if OSX and iWorks are so very functional then y do they have soooo very low market share? Any body out ther who can explain this? Any one???

          Reply

          • Blaze

            6 months ago

            Explanation sir, is – ‘right place at the right time’. When computers started becoming popular windows were more functional, and Apple had a long leadership struggle. Thats when MS swooped in and captured 95% market share. They obtained what is called a natural monopoly.

            If you have used both OSes, you will know Windows and most other MS products are inferior (not that it has its place in market though).

            That’s why, Apple is growing its market share and catching up with MS in PC market, and MS is trying to catch up with Apple in music and phone market, and making a mess of it.

            Reply

            • Nicole Briddon

              6 months ago

              I suppose competition will always be a big part of the subject… Just because more people buy a product though, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better in every way.

              Apple and MS are both doing well enough, engaging in such tough competition. A lot of people buy what they’re familiar with and it works for them. Although if I were to need software with an imaging focus, I would probably try an Apple product. maybe.

              Or why not go with neither. Plenty of other options there, starting with OS. Personally I have no desire for the iPhone for one. But fortunately for MS and Apple, the majority of users don’t appear likely to veer off from the ‘user-friendly’ all in one pre-made stuff (MS or Apple designed OS, etc.).

              Bringing an iPhone and using it to take Ballmer’s picture probably isn’t the best way to meet the guy, in hindsight… not that I would try to excuse his behavior, but I definitely got a chuckle… maybe I’m just a sick individual :P (sorry hapless iPhone carrying employee x.x).

              Reply

          • kernalpanic

            3 months ago

            “remember when mac came out” what are you talking about, were you even born in 1984?, No Mac, no Micro$oft at least do your research Anndd!

            Reply

      • Nicolas

        6 months ago

        Ballmer is not directly responsible for those products being good. He handles money, not code.

        Reply

  2. gorlok

    6 months ago

    Ballmer could be a clown, if he isn’t MS’s CEO.
    Perhaps not a good clown anyways :D

    Reply

    • Mayank Agarwal
      (Twitter: @ mayank25may )

      6 months ago

      you wrong! :) He is a clown anyway… if not… he acts like one!

      Reply

      • Jim Phillips

        6 months ago

        Ballmer reminds me of a used car salesman. He has to get all hyped up and crazy to distract people from the lemon he’s selling.

        Reply

  3. Victor Mancini

    6 months ago

    what kind of MS employee/idiot brings an iphone to a private meeting to be attended by the CEO? He should be fired rather than just ridiculed…imagine Steve Jobs walking into a meeting to find one of his employees playing around on their Vista laptop…

    Reply

    • X

      6 months ago

      Apple isn’t Microsoft and Jobs isn’t Ballmer.

      Jobs wouldn’t pull this crap, he knows supporting windows is important, hence Parallels.

      Reply

      • Steve

        6 months ago

        So, you mean to say Jobs isnt cynical? Jobs is actually the biggest of them all…!! Ballmer only ridiculed, If this would have happened to Jobs then God forbid.. he would have almost killed the employee…ther are a lot of stories… Dont you know that employees in apple are afraid to travel in the elevator in which Steve is going… because they don’t want to be jobless when they move out of elevator.

        Reply

        • mark

          6 months ago

          Was that an intentional pun? Get into the elevator with Steve Jobs. When you get out of the elevator and walk away, you are Job(s)less! Ha ha, i think…

          Reply

  4. leipheimer

    6 months ago

    well..it shows the problem as this company is not able for a transition into an innovative company with such a CEO.
    He even forbids his own children to use google.

    Great for the MS competitive intelligence ahum

    Reply

  5. Mahbub

    6 months ago

    That is so cheap. Microsoft is under a very poor leadership who lacks basic sophistication.

    Reply

  6. Adrian

    6 months ago

    If Mac OSX is better than Windows is totally irrelevant. What IS relevant is that Microsoft products have a huge market share, but are really bad products. No innovation, lots of bloat and bad user experience. The normal user doesn’t usually see it, though.

    Reply

  7. Mike

    6 months ago

    Personally, I find Ballmer’s antics to be hilarious, and I’m sure it was just in good humor. Remember he did the same thing to Guy Kawasaki’s MacBook Air at MIX08 and it was all in good fun.

    I think people are just so anti-Microsoft that they look for any reason they can find to slam Ballmer. The anti-Microsoft crowd really needs to lighten up.

    Reply

  8. justwally

    6 months ago

    Personally, if I were that MS employee I would not have had my phone out (regardless of the manufacturer/phone model).

    On the same note, if someone pulled a Ballmer on me and took it from me without asking I would have their head on my way out the door.

    Ballmer’s behavior was both unprofessional and showed unequivocal disregard for something known as “respect.”

    The person having their phone out (texting/taking photos) at a meeting is also a sign of disrespect.

    All-in-all, it simply is not surprising.

    Reply

  9. AC

    6 months ago

    More people buy wintel crap because its cheaper. You get what you pay for. WinTel is left in the dust by Apple’s innovative products. And please remember, Microsoft didn’t swoop in. They STOLE the idea of the GUI!! And one of the most unstable products on earth was born – WINDOWS.

    Reply

  10. Saumya Jain

    6 months ago

    Guys,

    There are companies that evoke a strong negative feeling about competitors. Amongst others, this may help polarise the customers (as evident from the discussion) and create stronger brand associations and loyalty.

    Frequently, the charge may be led by the company leadership and employees may be expected to demonstrate unfailing loyalty.

    Not sure if this case falls in the above category, but issuing a calm instruction may have been better.

    SK.

    Reply

    • Mayank Agarwal
      (Twitter: @ mayank25may )

      6 months ago

      Well I must agree with you here… Even Apple has been doing this since 1980s… Remember that “Super Bowl” Ads that Apple launched in 1984 against the so called evil big brother – IBM. This mind game has been going on for centuries and is present in almost every aspect of the society.
      But I have a point here… play this game guys,but why behave like a FOOL? I dont think that this incident will any way make the employees hate iPhone and start loving that “almost dead” Windows mobile… Infact employees will start hating (perhaps ridiculing in private) their CEO even more now.

      Reply

  11. Chris

    3 months ago

    You’ve got to be a bit boneheaded to flash an competitors product in front of someone like Balmer. A little common sense people.

    Reply

  12. socialcity

    4 weeks ago

    That’s the craziest picture I’ve seen of any executive online. Looks like he just walked out of the sauna.

    Reply

17 Trackbacks For This Post

  1. Mrabti Says:
    September 12th, 2009 at 5:56 pm

    Be Calm Steve Ballmer, The IPhone Rocks And That why Your Employee Bought It => http://tinyurl.com/munkqu

  2. Michael Bien Says:
    September 12th, 2009 at 8:25 pm

    thinking about to send Steve #Ballmer an iPhone as Christmas gift http://tinyurl.com/munkqu

  3. Markandey Singh Says:
    September 13th, 2009 at 2:39 am

    if ths is tru?? its not cool . Ballmer has 2 learn a lot from Bill Gates… B aggressive on business & soft as person http://bit.ly/2Sv0P

  4. Tweets that mention Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults And Redicules A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone -- Topsy.com Says:
    September 13th, 2009 at 10:02 am

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  5. ✜ Stephen Ransom Says:
    September 14th, 2009 at 1:48 am

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  6. corani Says:
    September 14th, 2009 at 12:17 pm

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults And Redicules A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone: “Ballmer grabbed .. http://bit.ly/8fHUs

  7. Jordan Zebor Says:
    September 15th, 2009 at 10:07 am

    http://bit.ly/dVXYK Ballmer insults an iPhone user at #MSFT meeting. Picture included!! #iPhone #comedy #tech

  8. Microsoft Launches Visual Search For Bing, Can It Change The Way We Search? Says:
    September 15th, 2009 at 11:52 pm

    [...] this post, Microsoft has also included a gallery for Top iPhone App in Visual Search regardless of Steve Balmer’s detestation for iPhones. [...]

  9. macgig Says:
    September 17th, 2009 at 1:34 am

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  10. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults And Redicules A… | fBaidoo Says:
    October 1st, 2009 at 11:01 pm

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  11. Martyn Haskins Says:
    November 22nd, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults And Redicules A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone | TechDusts http://ow.ly/Exdc

  12. Eric Butter Says:
    November 22nd, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    haha bc MS has something better?:P @MartynHaskins MS CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults & Redicules Employee Carrying iPhone http://ow.ly/Exdc

  13. Phil Taylor Says:
    November 23rd, 2009 at 12:31 am

    RT @MartynHaskins:Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults And Redicules A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone http://ow.ly/Exdc

  14. Christian Newcomer Says:
    November 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 am

    RT Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults And Redicules A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone | TechDusts http://ow.ly/Exdc

  15. Mayank Agarwal Says:
    December 5th, 2009 at 9:28 am

    RT @TechDusts: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults And Redicules A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone | http://bit.ly/N2yOH

  16. Mayank Agarwal Says:
    December 16th, 2009 at 3:36 pm

    Old but still.. RT @TechDusts: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Ridicules & Insults A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone http://bit.ly/N2yOH

  17. Tracy TC Says:
    January 5th, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Slams, Insults And Ridicules A Microsoft Employee Carrying iPhone http://ow.ly/SWPZ

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