Microsoft CEO iPhone hiss
By Techgirl

In the last quarter ending June 2009, Microsoft earned revenue of $13 billion. It has cash reserves in excess of $25 billion.  It makes great products used by hundreds of millions of people.  Microsoft founder Bill Gates is admired by millions of Indians for walking away from the day to day running of the company and devoting his energies and money to helping the poor and weak.

But all this does not seem to have softened the jagged edges of their CEO Steve Ballmer who is worth billions of dollars.  Sometimes he behaves badly (childishly?) when he sees products from arch rival Apple computers.

Techflash is reporting:

“
By all accounts, Microsoft's private company meeting at Seattle's Safeco Field today was a hit -- with a preview of a "Bing 2.0" overhaul, executives demonstrating Project Natal, the unveiling of the first Windows 7 television commercial, comedy from Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers, high-fives from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, free beer and plenty of Microsoft kool-aid to go around.

As the story goes, it happened when Ballmer was making his big entrance -- slapping hands, running around, and generally whooping things up, as is his tradition at these events. That was when he spotted someone at field level, allegedly a member of the Windows group, using an iPhone to take his picture.

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.
“

If that was not enough, one of the readers of the respected tech blog Techflash wrote in

“
I left Microsoft 5 years ago. Ran into Steve Ballmer a few weeks ago, had a "good old' times" and "whaddya doing' now" couple minute conversation. He then saw my iPhone ... asked me if it was mine ... and turned away and ended the conversation.

I was disappointed. The old SteveB would have asked me "why" I'm using an iPhone, I would have told him, he would have tried to convince me to change, and he would have sent an email to someone with his n+1 market intelligence report.
“

Culturally, this kind of behaviour is not considered crazy in America.  Some even admire people with such strong views.  In India, no Tech CEO would dare cross this line in a public meeting.

Techgoss note:  Techgirl is a senior Tech journalist who reports on the IT, KPO and KPO Sectors for a leading media house.  In her spare time, she dabbles in satire in her blog http://techgirltalk.blogspot.com