14 DAY TRIAL // Steve Ballmer held his last speech as CEO last week, reminding an audience made of thousands of company employees that they work for the greatest company in the world and bursting into tears almost every time when pronouncing the word “Microsoft.”
While Ballmer’s departure from the helm of the company was pretty exciting news for millions of users across the world, it turns out that many people actually appreciate him, not necessarily for the things he did while working for Microsoft, but also for the great passion he shows for the Redmond-based company.
The video posted online during the weekend pretty much impressed everyone, with many users actually expressing their compassion for the man who’ll step down once Microsoft finds a new CEO.
We started crawling the web this morning in search for people’s opinion on Ballmer’s tearful farewell, with the public reaction clearly applauding the outgoing CEO for the way he talks about Microsoft. Here are a few comments we found on Twitter, Reddit, and on YouTube:
“He is my hero. An amazing man with an amazing ability to lead. I will miss him.”
“The world would be a lot better place if people loved their jobs as much as this guy.”
“I wasn't actually expecting it to be that emotional, but halfway through the video I realised just how long he's been with Microsoft; how much of a role he's played with the company and how much of a role the company would have played on his life.”
“We love Steve Ballmer, he is great leader, we are proud of him.”
“The emotions were understandable, i mean the guy was with MS since 1980. I'm sure he and his videos will become a timeless part of MS history. You and Bill Gates truly changed the world.”
“In my mind at least Ballmer will go down as one of the most passionate people in the history of the industry.”
“It is sad to realize that a man has to leave so that people begin to recognize and appreciate him... What a strange society we live in...”
It’s a bit awkward to see so many people standing behind Ballmer following this emotional goodbye, but in the end, it’s pretty clear that Ballmer will be missed. Here’s the reaction of an alleged Microsoft employee who posted his thoughts on Reddit:
“I was there for this (right in the front row--you can actually see me high-five Ballmer at 3:41), and believe me, it was an INCREDIBLY emotional experience and probably the most unified the company has felt in a long, long time. For as much flak as he (very understandably) gets, Ballmer has made an incredible impression on the company, and is unparalleled for psyching employees to move forward. I can't remember the last time I left an event so pumped. His energy and passion will be sorely missed.”