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Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

(danluu.com)
371 points greggyb | 5 comments | 28 Oct 24 21:48 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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not_a_bot_4sho ◴[29 Oct 24 01:19 UTC] No.41978402[source]▶
Funny story. I used to see Steve almost every weekday for a couple of years.

I can't speak to his business skills, but I can attest that he never once offered a tip for his daily black iced tea. We'd even have it ready for him before he showed up so he never had to wait! He would pay with cash, and I'd hand him his change and drink, and that was that.

It's funny to me now: one of the richest men in the world and he never once offered a tip.

Frugality aside, he was always very polite and warm so I can't be mad. Makes for a good ice breaker story.

Edit: holy moly, this is a sensitive subject. Please remember this was from a time before tipflation. Tipping meant you left your change behind once in a while only if you felt the desire to show appreciation. It wasn't an obligation. Yes, I still do think it's a funny story. Roast me for being entitled lol

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arandomusername ◴[29 Oct 24 01:28 UTC] No.41978457[source]▶
What frugality? He was paying the full price that it was being sold at.
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stouset[dead post] ◴[29 Oct 24 01:32 UTC] No.41978487[source]▶
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DiogenesKynikos ◴[29 Oct 24 01:40 UTC] No.41978529[source]▶
That depends on whether it's table service, or whether you yourself go to the counter to buy your drink. Until very recently, that was the dividing line for tips (except at bars).
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1. isodev ◴[29 Oct 24 02:03 UTC] No.41978641[source]▶
How cruel can one be to try to come up with such a "line"? In my mind it goes like this:

If you're served by a human and tips are not included in normal pay by law, you tip.

If it's a country where people can't live with just the one job, you tip a lot.

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2. renewiltord ◴[29 Oct 24 02:04 UTC] No.41978654[source]▶
Disappointed that you haven’t sent me my money for being parent to my comment. Do you need ETH address to tip to?
3. DiogenesKynikos ◴[29 Oct 24 02:08 UTC] No.41978672[source]▶
Cruel?

There are a set of pretty arbitrary customs about where you tip and where you don't tip. You would be considered a weirdo if you tipped at the grocery store. In the US, you have to tip at sit-down restaurants.

Traditionally, in the US, people rarely tipped when they had to go to the counter to order and pick up food.

That's just the custom, though it seems to be rapidly changing, so that basically any food or drink service now involves tipping.

4. hyperhopper ◴[29 Oct 24 02:11 UTC] No.41978681[source]▶
By your own logic, do you tip every grocery store cashier? Do you tip your landlord? Do you tip the toll collector on the highway?

Tipping everybody who you hand cash to is crazy. And the US is the only place where you have to do it for a large percentage of that population.

5. kstrauser ◴[29 Oct 24 02:30 UTC] No.41978783[source]▶
No way, no how. I tip really well for people who actually provide service. If you're my waiter or delivery driver, I'll take care of you. Conversely, I have never tipped anyone a single penny for handing me a burger at a drive thru, nor will I, and I don't feel the slightest bit guilty about it.

Coffee bars are a grey area. If I'm ordering something fancy, I'll probably tip. If I'm getting a cup of black joe from an urn of pre-made coffee, I may or may not.

I'll continue to tip well for people working in traditionally tipped positions. The last few years have seen companies attempt to massively expand that list of positions so that their employees get paid more without their bosses having to pay for it. Those cheapskates can give their workers raises instead of turfing it off onto us.