Comments on: CEOh-Snap! Ballmer Publicly Ridicules Microsoft Employee for Using iPhone

By: Dennis

Dennis — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:09:19 +0000

Stevie boy is a really really sick ahole, for this and other behavior he has exhibited throughout the years, and he is probably the single most culpable person for the Vista debacle.

When Vista came out I purchased what I thought was a really nice Sony Vaio with Vista Home Premium and was really horrified what a slow piece of crap Vista made this nice premium system. Now I hear that Windows 7 is coming out that is supposed to fix all the Vista problems but Microsoft is charging a huge amount of money to fix their screw up.

Are you kidding me; I have to pay over $100 to fix MicroSHAFTs mess. You people are an absolute disgrace, doesn't Gates and Ballmer have enough money. Have they no decency, at long last have they no decency???????

Why can't they take responsible for their mess and fix it for free or for a nominal amount of money. No wonder people are fleeing to Mac and Linux. I have already made the switch to Linux myself but can't get the wife to but I may force her because of this absolutely outrageous greedy behavior by these very sick people

By: Virtuous

Virtuous — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:39:13 +0000

Apple and RIM have overtaken MS. MS and Verizon are acting like Nazis.

By: Adam

Adam — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:16:38 +0000

This is freaking America. Some buissnesses really need to chill the fu€k out. There should be a law against discrimination like this.

By: 2Phone User

2Phone User — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:09:15 +0000

The employee definitely has the right to own what ever type of personal phone he wants. But as others have said he was kind of asking for attention when he pulled out the IPhone at a MS event. Still what a tool.

By: Ron Jeremy

Ron Jeremy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:23:53 +0000

Ron says that guy has a Ron Jeremy size penis up his arse. What a wad.

By: Hakala

Hakala — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:46:45 +0000

Ha i think ballmer overreacted. If the employee wants to own an iPhone, let him own an iPhone. Done

By: striatic

striatic — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:28:54 +0000

are we sure he wasn't just being tongue in cheek?

By: icebike

icebike — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:10:49 +0000

@Spicerak2:

Exactly.

By: Mav

Mav — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:20:52 +0000

This is both funny and sad. It tells a lot about rotten corporate culture out there. Competitors should be respected and studied closely - not the opposite.

While Nokia was also taken by surprise by the iPhone success (though they will rarely admit it), the company is smart and democratic enough to not ban employees from carrying and using iPhones as personal devices at Nokia offices. Heck, I bet Nokia CEO has one too (though well hidden inside his pocket). LOL.

By: SpiceRak2

SpiceRak2 — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:20:24 +0000

What Ballmer COULD have done: Walk up to the employee, ask to borrow his iPhone, then state to everyone, "Our objective is to make products so worth owning that every one of our employees would consider nothing else. We are the reason this iPhone is in this room today."

Inspiration, not spectacle.

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:36:27 +0000

Are you serious? That's not even Ballmer, haha.

By: Neil

Neil — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:24:07 +0000

It was kind of a mean move on Ballmer's part, but it was stupid for the employee to wave a rival companies phone in his face.

As someone already noted, you don't bring a Coke to a Pepsi meeting. You don't wear a Visa shirt to an Amex meeting and you sure as hell keep your iPhone in your pocket at a MS meeting.

Having said that, I am of course posting this using my 3Gs.

By: iPhoneMilk

iPhoneMilk — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:51:54 +0000

@Lolipopjones- Really?? jesus...

@druce that's a great story.... =)

Steve Ballmer is a douchebag... and i fear we won't see anything cool come out of microsoft until he's gone... =(

By: Al

Al — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:15:15 +0000

If MS has so many employees that they have to meet at SafeCo Field how can he possibly expect not one employee to have a rival smartphone. What a douchebag. Fix WinMo before you rag on your own employees.

By: Druce MacFarlane

Druce MacFarlane — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:38:46 +0000

I was in an AT&T store in Redmond Town Center, standing in line behind someone with a Microsoft badge. He was returning his Windows Mobile phone in exchange for an iPhone. When he left, I laughed about it with the Sales Rep, who told me that this happens about five times a week just with her. She didn't even notice anymore.

By: Lolipopjones

Lolipopjones — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:36:32 +0000

Verizon Wireless has an instant termination policy for employees that have the iPhone and bring it on VzW property.

By: Basher

Basher — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:13:29 +0000

This is great publicity for Apple. Did Apple's covert marketing team plant the employee's phone like a hand grenade and then stand back to watch such magnificent effects? The fact that SB's radar was highly sensitive to the presence of an iPhone speaks volumes. Nice Job Steve, consider ramping it up by offering MS employees a trade-in discount of 5% (max!) on their Windows Mobile 6.5 phones when upgrading to iPhone?

By: Mart

Mart — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:04:13 +0000

Someone should tell him MS still develops and sells Office for Mac.

By: Sting7k

Sting7k — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:51:53 +0000

Thanks for pointing out that last piece.

By: BBYM

BBYM — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:47:02 +0000

Pure jealousy!!

By: fastlane

fastlane — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:36:06 +0000

steveBallmer {

ideas: 0; class: none; }

By: iDon'tCare

iDon'tCare — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:32:15 +0000

This was a pretty stupid move on the employee's part. The same thing (if not worse) would have happened if a Pepsi employee brought a Coke to Pepsi's corporate gig.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:12:48 +0000

Good. Keep balmer around so microsofty will keep turning out C r a p.

By: iPhone

iPhone — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:08:41 +0000

Turns out Balmer is a real a$$h--e huh? What a dick wad!

By: Dexter

Dexter — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:04:34 +0000

Sounds like the guy really needs to get a life! What a fu%kin' azzhole!

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:03:16 +0000

Haha does Microsoft have a phone too tho?