>>Ballmer is a clown only in your mind. He was a founding partner of MS and Bill needed him for his sales strength early on. He may not act like you want him too, but he certainly knows his craft and can energize almost any situation. I've talked with him and he is a very passionate man, who wears his heart on his sleeve.
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>I'm sure Ballmer was a hell of a salesman but a CEO he was not. He may be a good guy, he may be very passionate, but that doesn't make him an effective CEO. I, and a cadre of others, will always look at Ballmer's tenure as the lost years where MS missed many opportunities and fumbled many products.
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>https://www.google.com/search?q=ballmer+failed+microsoft

I agree with you up to a point. But you have to consider that he had the task of following Bill Gates, one of the true giants of American business. It's like Frank Sinatra singing first and then you have to come on second.