Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

It’s funny how all the comments here are falling in the trap described in the beginning of the article of disliking Ballmer because he comes from the sales side and they can’t fathom someone not coming from the tech side leading a tech company.

What’s undeniable in the article is that Ballmer literally built what remains Microsoft best asset even before being a CEO there: it’s incredibly good relationship with its corporate customers. Honestly, it’s really what sets Microsoft apart for me. When you do deal with them as a corporate customer, you really get the feeling that they understand the way things work in a big corp IT department and will be reliable and predictable.

I wouldn’t use that language exactly. I think they’ve set up a very effectively profitable relationship with the industry - part carrot and part stick. But I don’t think AWS usage would’ve exploded as it did if their clients truly felt both respected and understood.