Recalling his early days as Microsoft CEO , Steve Ballmer recently revealed that he shouted his now-iconic “Developers! Developers! Developers!” chant out of frustration with the company’s internal structure. Speaking on the “Acquired” podcast, Ballmer said that the moment wasn’t just for show, but a call-to-action to change Microsoft ’s internal mindset in the early 2000s. Ballmer recalled that during his early years as CEO, Microsoft teams were too focused on infrastructure like Windows, Windows Server, and ActiveX, while neglecting efforts to attract third-party developers. “I was just frustrated with myself and my inability to get people out of, 'We're just a platform company,’” Ballmer said.
In an effort to jolt the company into action, Ballmer took the stage at a Microsoft developer conference and repeatedly shouted the word “developers.”
The dramatic display, he explained, was a deliberate move to emphasize the importance of external developer support. “I'm trying to tell people at that time that third parties really mattered, and you got different opinions inside Microsoft,” he stated.
“You have to be able to communicate that you really care about developers who are not your own,” Ballmer said. “We just had to tell people, ‘We want you, we want you, we want you.’”
Steve Ballmer believed third-party developers were key to Microsoft’s growth
At that time, Microsoft was facing growing pressure from rivals like IBM and Linux. The company needed to galvanize support for Windows and its emerging server products, including the then-nascent .NET framework. Ballmer believed third-party developers were key to Microsoft’s survival and growth.
The chant, he said, was part of his personal approach to leadership and communication"I have my own kind of wild style," Ballmer said.
"How do you end a speech? You tell people you love them, that you want them. That's sort of the call to action," he added.
In an effort to jolt the company into action, Ballmer took the stage at a Microsoft developer conference and repeatedly shouted the word “developers.”
The dramatic display, he explained, was a deliberate move to emphasize the importance of external developer support. “I'm trying to tell people at that time that third parties really mattered, and you got different opinions inside Microsoft,” he stated.
“You have to be able to communicate that you really care about developers who are not your own,” Ballmer said. “We just had to tell people, ‘We want you, we want you, we want you.’”
Steve Ballmer believed third-party developers were key to Microsoft’s growth
At that time, Microsoft was facing growing pressure from rivals like IBM and Linux. The company needed to galvanize support for Windows and its emerging server products, including the then-nascent .NET framework. Ballmer believed third-party developers were key to Microsoft’s survival and growth.
The chant, he said, was part of his personal approach to leadership and communication"I have my own kind of wild style," Ballmer said.
"How do you end a speech? You tell people you love them, that you want them. That's sort of the call to action," he added.
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