Technology, Culture, Commentary on the Internet Revolution

Ballmer Forgets Bill Was Young Once

by Mike Abundo on October 3rd, 2007

Yes, it’s official: despite his outlandish antics, Steve Ballmer is old. Here’s what he had to say about social networks:

I think these things are going to have some legs, and yet there’s a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people.

Ballmer forgets that his buddy Bill got into all that software stuff when they were both in college. By Ballmer’s reasoning, Bill himself was getting into a “fad” thirty years ago. Oh yeah, that “fad” sure didn’t make Bill the richest man on Earth. No, wait, it did.

By Ballmer’s reasoning, IBM is going into a fad by rapidly assembling teams through internal use of social networking technologies. Oh yeah, I’m sure they don’t need the time they save there. No, wait, they do.

Bill’s greatest financial success came from seeing what IBM did not: the value of software. Now, IBM sees what Ballmer does not: the value of social networks. You know you’re getting old when even IBM is more innovative than you. Given that Ballmer was playing football when Bill was coding the Altair BASIC interpreter, he probably doesn’t know what it feels like to embrace innovation in youth and take it into adulthood.

Recall that Microsoft said this exact same “it’s kid stuff” stuff about the Internet. Now Google’s kicking their asses, despite Ballmer’s belated tough talk about getting into online advertising. Now we have Robert Scoble lamenting that Microsoft holds the same dismissive attitude towards Web 2.0.

Microsoft has a history of downright childishness, but they’ve long lost any childlike sense of wonder. Ballmer’s statement proves that just because you act like a kid, doesn’t mean you’re young at heart.

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POSTED IN: Microsoft, Social Networking