Steve Ballmer Leaves Microsoft's Board

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer era has officially come to an end. The company's former chief executive officer, who stepped aside last year, has now announced that he will be resigning his position on Microsoft's board.

Ballmer joined Microsoft more than thirty years ago, rising from the company's first business manager (hired by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates) to its chief executive in just under two decades. Ballmer was at Microsoft's helm for a number of important projects, including launches for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, the Xbox video game console, and the ill-fated Zen music player.

Ballmer Focusing Attention On Running LA Clippers

In a resignation letter that has now been posted to Microsoft's official website, Ballmer pointed to a range of new responsibilities as an explanation for his departure. For example, Ballmer recently acquired the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers from disgraced Donald Sterling.

"Given my confidence and the multitude of new commitments I am taking on now, I think it would be impractical for me to continue to serve on the board, and it is best for me to move off," Ballmer said. (Source: microsoft.com)

But Ballmer says he has no concerns about Microsoft's direction, writing that the firm "will move to higher heights" in the coming years. Ballmer's replacement, Satya Nadella, already made something of a splash by announcing the firm would trim roughly 18,000 jobs in the next year.

But Ballmer did offer some advice to his former colleagues: "Microsoft will need to be bold and make big bets to succeed," Ballmer said. "In the mobile-first, cloud-first world, software development is a key skill, but success requires moving to monetization through enterprise subscriptions, hardware gross margins, and advertising revenues."

Ballmer Promises to Continue Offering Ideas

Although he'll be focusing more on winning NBA championships than Windows, Ballmer says he plans to offer Microsoft "ideas and inputs" on a regular basis. "I bleed Microsoft -- I have for 34 years and I always will," Ballmer added.

Given that the former CEO retains about four per cent of Microsoft's total shares -- valued at more than $15 billion -- his interest in the company's future is understandable. (Source: wsj.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Do you think Microsoft is better off with or without Steve Ballmer? Do you expect Ballmer to continue to have a major influence over the firm? Are you as optimistic about Microsoft's future as Ballmer is?