Topic: Steve Ballmer

Will the Net Bounce Back?

Last year's Internet Summit was full of boasting and banquets. This year's gathering of tech's brightest stars featured mea culpas and buffets. A field report on the past, present, and future of the Internet economy.READ»

A Field Guide to Boss Management

1. Old Yeller Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been known to let out a full-throated growl. If you match a screamer decibel for decibel, you're toast. Zen calm trumps noise and will stop the shouting. 2. The Blowhard On the TV ...READ»

• Your Boss is a Monkey

Slow Is the New Fast

With our November issue, Fast Company will celebrate 10 years of publication. Each month until then, we'll review one of our favorite editions from the first decade.READ»

Necessity breeds innovation

No, this is not about Ballmer’s latest marketing campaign, but about evolutionary innovations. READ»

Steve Ballmer's Big Moves

Microsoft's CEO faces a challenge that has been the undoing of many leaders in many industries: Can a giant company that dominated one era lead in the next?READ»

Performance Review

Not since Apple's Switch ad campaign has video footage been so lovingly parodied. Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer seems to like to get his dance on at large company gatherings. And his sweaty exhortations are by turns embarrassing and ...READ»

Microsoft's Bing Unveiled, with Sound Effects and a 'Decision Engine'

We heard rumors the other day, and Steve Ballmer officially revealed the existence of Microsoft's new search engine, Bing, during the D7 conference. The name was carefully chosen to help with the branding--it helps to have a ...READ»

Cannes, Day Three: Steve Ballmer, Media Visionary?

The man of the year named by the world's biggest advertising awards.READ»

• Gaston Legorburu's Creative Think Tank blog

Microsoft CEO Defends Himself Against Class-Action Allegations

All it took was one flimsy product designation, and now Microsoft [MSFT] has a class-action lawsuit on its hands. The suit charges that Microsoft certified certain budget computer models as "Vista Capable" when, in fact, ...READ»

This Week's Top Tech News: Elimination Edition

Put an end to blindness, bullshit, copyright laws and Time Warner's dark hegemony? Sure: the top tech stories of the week are all about the death of things that Web nerds hate--and that includes Bing, whether you like the idyllic backgrounds or not. READ»

Cowards of the Year

They came, they saw, they caved: These antiheroes turned their backs on what they know is right.READ»

Two Heads are Better Than

For the best business performance, you can’t do everything yourself -- you’ll need partners who support and complement your skills. To find someone who's a good fit, follow a few simple rules.READ»

To Reach Multicultural Youth, Go Mobile

It's no secret; multicultural consumers have always been trendsetters. The music, fashion, and lifestyle categories have always been synonymous with--and adopted--what emanates from “the streets." Yet, when it comes to influence in ...READ»

That Darned Microsoft Zune Phone Rumor Pops Up Again

CES2009 is fast approaching, which may be why rumors are again circulating that Microsoft [MSFT] will soon launch a Zune-based iPhone rival. Despite the fact that Steve Ballmer, in referring to the iPhone said "It's not a concept ...READ»

A Brief History of Hard Work, Adjusted for Risk

Your great-grandfather knew what it meant to work hard. He hauled hay all day long, making sure that the cows got fed. In Fast Food Nation (Houghton Mifflin, 2001), Eric Schlosser writes about a worker who ruptured his vertebrae, ...READ»

Yahoo, Microsoft Deal Gives Bing a Google-Rivaling Turbo Boost

After years of foreplay, Microsoft and Yahoo have made it official: They're cozying up in bed together. The major beneficiary will be Bing--it'll usurp Yahoo search, boosting its Google rivalry power. We've been hearing dribs and ...READ»

Microsoft Unleashes Windows 7 Beta As Free Download

As part of his CES keynote speech yesterday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer surprised the crowd by announcing that Windows 7 is now available as a Beta test version for free download. MSDN and TechNet subscribers can get it ...READ»

Tech Watch: Ballmer Says Microsoft Should Buy Yahoo; New Dell Desktops; Kill Switch on Google's Phone

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer suggested that his company may buy Yahoo. Yahoo's stock rose with the speculation.READ»

Help Wanted: a Chief Knowledge Officer

For your company to be successful, you've got to know when to hold and when to fold--and you need a CKO to deal it to you straight.READ»

P&G, Microsoft and Sustainability

P&G and Microsoft have both recently strongly committed themselves to "sustainability." P&G's Lafley saying: P&G’s commitment to sustainability is strategic. It is how our company conducts business. ...READ»

Windows 7 Gets Its Big Day

It's October 22,2009. It's Windows 7 Day! You can bet that many a PC user can barely contain their excitement about the opportunity to upgrade from XP and consign Vista to history's dustbin. Microsoft's got a suite of events and ...READ»

Senator Wants Microsoft Job Cuts to Target Foreigners

Microsoft's cost-cutting move of slashing 5,000 jobs has attracted the attention of Republican senator Charles Grassley from Iowa. He wrote to CEO Steve Ballmer about the job losses, specifically concerned that, "Microsoft will be ...READ»

Tell Me What You <em>Really<em/> Think

Ever since I was quoted in the January 21 New York Times, I've been in conversations with several reporters and others on the topic of authenticity. In case you didn't see the article, my comments had to do with Hillary Clinton's ...READ»

The Lure of On-Demand Software

On-demand software allows small and medium businesses to leverage robust computer applications at a fraction of the cost of maintaining in-house systems.READ»

Editor's Letter: Comedy & Tragedy

Two years ago, while an editor at another business magazine, I worked with a writer on a major feature about the then-thriving Lehman Brothers. He was enamored of CEO Dick Fuld and his purported mastery of bond-market risk. "Fuld's ...READ»