Ballmer Makes Fun of iPhone-touting Employee

[nachowarrior]

[citation][nom]tmike[/nom]If using products from other companies is a career-limiting move at your place of employment, you should look carefully at your choice of employers.[/citation]

This is why not all people that work at fast food restaurants are fat and in need of organ transplants. Most.... but not all.

[citation][nom]Jerky_san[/nom]What does it say about your company when people who have the ability to attend a meeting with a multi billion dollar company are buying competing companies products.. Its about image. You as an employee who can sit with the CEO of said company should be thinking about the company's image as well. If hes some lower level guy who just opens the door for people its different than if hes a guy who attends meetings with CEO's..[/citation]

True, you can definitely be fired for not fitting the part. That's why I hire only "models that ______" so i can fire any employee for not meeting my model standards. haha. eg: models for customer ser\/ice, so they ha\/e to be hot, and I can technically ask them to work naked, well, pro\/ided i keep the tempurature of the building up.


and now for my own comment....

HE THOUGHT IT WAS A BOMB! he was throwing his foot o\/er it to protect his employees. What a trooper!

technically, Balmer could ha\/e had the de\/ice thrown out considering the type of control apple keeps o\/er it's de\/ices. Ste\/e jobs was probably sitting in on the meeting too if you get my meaning.

 

[Bloodblender]

[citation][nom]chaohsiangchen[/nom]Mr. Ballmer could have sued the employee for endangering others by carrying an explosive device.[/citation]

Classic!

Ha ha ha!

 

[gomi]

I'm not an apple fan and I can see the usefulness of the iphone. I don't like the Mac fanatics that rant about their newest ipod or whatever but there's no denying that the iphone does fill a pretty big niche in the smartphone department. I'd like to see Micosoft come out with their version of the iphone someday.

 

[mlopinto2k1]

Holy shit this got out of hand. Daaaaamn! Personally, I hate most people in the general public, in America, only because of the ignorance shown. Other then that... ehhrm, I have no clue about anything.

 

[Guest]

am i the only one thinking the Ballmer is a little crazy.

 

[cadder]

You have the freedom to buy products from the competition, your company has the freedom to eliminate your job if they lose market share to the competition. Your company does not owe you a job or a paycheck, nobody does. You have to earn the job and the income. If you aren't loyal to your company then maybe you don't deserve the job.

I make fun of my friends that have fruit-phones too. I can see the advantages of the fruit-phone but most people that buy them just use them for talking and texting, and that misses out on the advantages of the iphone. I've been using Windows-based PDA's for about 6 years. I think the iphone might make a better PDA even if it's a mediocre phone, and I might consider buying one for that reason someday. I'm a Microsoft fan but I don't work for them so I can buy an iphone guilt-free.

 

[Burodsx]

Maybe if Microsoft wants to give phones and free service to their employees -- then crap like this might be okay.

 

[grantmasterflash2000]

Does this mean that just because you work at Ford you have to drive Fords? Does a Microsoft employee have to put up with crappy Win Mobile just because he works for Microsoft? Yet another reason to never go to work for them. If I did I'd definitely have an Android phone or a Pre.

 

[MU_Engineer]

[citation][nom]etichi[/nom]@frozenlead:Thanks for giving me a chance to explain why I think the way I do! And I appreciate your levelheaded reply.Afraid: As a whole Americans are afraid of so many things thanks to its media. If fear tactics didn't work they wouldn't be used so frequently in propaganda.[/citation]

They're used in everybody's propaganda. The fact that you think all Americans are afraid of everything says you got a big whopping dose of propaganda (from the BBC, perhaps?)

[quote[Paranoid: The 2nd amendment backs this one up. A healthy dose of paranoia that an oppressive government will rise is why American have this right.[/quote]

Oh, yeah, oppressive governments NEVER rise up. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Ceaucescu, Milosevic, Castro, Saddam Hussein, Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah, the Taliban, and untold scores of African dictators never did anything to oppress their people. Nope, not a thing at all.

Fat: The Cook Islands, Tonga, Nauru, Samoa, beat America in obesity. America is ranked 5th. Out of every other country, how many that may be?

What, you weren't taught in your awesome schools how many countries are in the world? They didn't have, oh, I don't know, a map?

And where did you get your list? I looked for obesity statistics online and found an absolutely huge variance in listed rates- the obesity rate in the U.S. ranged from ~14% to nearly 40%! There is so much extrapolation and sampling error that it's hard to find legitimate data. And that's just for the U.S., who knows how good statistics are for other countries.

violent: America has far many homicides than any other country in the industrial world.

Homicides are foul, but they're only one kind of crime. The overall crime rate per capita in the United States (even according to a generally anti-American source pretty similar to quite a few other industrialized countries.

obnoxious: Isn't that American charm? This is more of a subjective one but many hold Americans as some of the rudest. to boot Americans drive slow in the fast lane. WTF?

Well, apparently being obnoxious and rude is a charm of whatever country you're from as well.

lazy: While American work ethic can be some of the most fierce in the world. There is a general mentality of something for nothing in many Americans. Graduate for school... give me a management position! NOW!

At least they want to work as they want that management position. In Socialist Europe and Canada, it's "give me my dole money and free healthcare!!" instead. Now who wanted something for nothing?

I backed some of this up with a point or two and yes some of it is subjective.

"Some" of it is subjective only for very large values of "some." "D

I realize in reading my earlier post that I was a little off. But I guess when I read or see Steven Ballmer act like that I get a little agitated. Again to iterate my point.. Ballmer technically harassed that employee by using his position of authority to mock/bully him. Unless there is a clause at Microsoft stating you can not use Apple products then he was completely wrong. I restate my case: Ballmer is an obnoxious fat ass.[/citation]

I have never met Steve Ballmer personally, so everything I know about him is by the reports of others. That being said, he appears to have a very flamboyant (the showmanship kind, not the gay kind) personality. Watch the "Developers Developers Developers" video on YouTube and you see that he uses this personality to get his point across. Taking an iPhone and pretending to stomp on it while laughing is exactly the kind of behavior you'd expect from him as Microsoft is readying an iPhone/iPod Touch competitor in the Zune HD. Want to bet that Ballmer said "We're going to f***ing crush the iPhone!!!" as he laughed and actually pretended to crush the iPhone? That's not being an ass; that's a fire-up-the-troops kind of mentality.

 

[p05esto]

I used to be an Apple fan boy in the 80s, 90s...now I think they are lame. I agree with Jellico "I'm-Steve-Jobs-I'm-an-artist-and-I'm-better-than-you persona". That whole attitude pisses me off as superficial "artist" retards, the same people that go "green" and drive hybrids, worry about their carbon footprint, get netbooks, ipods, iphones, etc. Nothing wrong with one of those sins by themslves - but all together and you have yourself a real douch.

 

[trih]

Makes quite a statement. Even though MS is competing with Apple in the smartphone market the employee thinks the iPhone is so much better it's worth using a competing company's product.

Ballmer sure is entertaining

 

[ceteras]

All those boo-ing in the room are simply ass-kissers.
You go to work to do stuff written in a contract, and that's it. A mobile phone is a personal thing, I don't allow anyone to touch my handset.
Being a MS employee and owning an iPhone makes total sense. You have to know your competitors.
At the place I work we are allowed to use competitor products, exactly for this reason.


This guy here "etichi" has got more balls than all those who down-rated him.

 

[matt87_50]

[citation][nom]Jerky_san[/nom]Having a competing companies product at a company meeting probably wasn't the smartest move for the employee.. Although it would seem Ballmer kept his cool..[/citation]

when Microsoft actually has a competing product, then they can complain

 

[war2k9]

Fuck you, non-american. May an apple device explode and kill you

.
I wonder is microsoft is the only american tech company? The last time i check apple is also an american tech company too.

Who copied who here?

Ipod came out in 2001 requires users to use itune and non user replaceable battery. The last time i check the zune requires zune soft and non user replaceable battery. Now the zunhd with touch screem web browser, ipodtouch have those features few years ago.

I don't like balmer at all, but gate to me would act with more class and that is the reason i hope gate would take back the ceo seat.

 

[r0x0r]

[citation][nom]ceteras[/nom]...This guy here "etichi" has got more balls than all those who down-rated him.[/citation]

It's not etichi's viewpoint that got him downrated but his method of delivery.

Opposing viewpoints are fine, and even healthy, but preaching as though your viewpoint is gospel and attacking others who would *gasp!* have the audacity to disagree smacks of extremism.

 

[r0x0r]

[citation][nom]etichi[/nom]Ballmer is a fat American.[/citation]

Although somewhat true, it does come across as a personal insult to someone who a) isn't here to defend themselves and b) does something that very few people in the world can do, and does it passionately.

I can wholeheartedly understand why you don't like him; he does come across as the typical brash, arrogant American that media loves to portray Americans as.

However, as was iterated in my previous post, it wasn't your opinion but the delivery of it that attracted such negative feedback. When people read/hear something they tend to focus on what's being written and respond with their emotions, nevermind that there's always a deeper meaning behind, well, at least some of the posts here. It's that emotional aspect which is a large part of the reason why only 7% of communication is based upon the language used, the other 93% being non-verbal (like how people focus on Steve Ballmer jumping around the stage and screaming out what he says, rather than the words than come out of his mouth). As the old adage goes, actions speak louder than words.

What happened in this thread is that things got out of hand on both sides, and thus an argument was born. The problem with an argument though is that it is un-winnable for both sides. When people argue, they usually end up attacking the person instead of the argument, which breeds distrust and resentment. We've all done it though. I have, and I'm certainly not proud of it.

etichi, your later posts make it easy to tell that you're open-minded enough to accept another person's viewpoint. That's great, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we wish people were more open-minded. Just tweak the delivery, hold the emotions and you'll far more positive feedback.

And if you made it this far, thanks for reading (sorry, I get a bit carried away sometimes)

 

[r3t4rd]

Apple Redneck:

If you use an iPhone and ask for an upgrade jPhone - you are an Apple Redneck.

If you join the army in hopes to use the iPhone as a land mine in the MidEast - you are an Apple Redneck.

If you use an iPhone to threaten or have your first cousin girlfriend sign contracts not to do a paternity test of her unborn child - you are an Apple Redneck.

If you buy two iPhones hoping to add to your two eyes, so that when you are drunk, your first cousin girlfriend looks prettier - you are an Apple Redneck.

What do you call a person with two iPhones - a four-eyed Apple Redneck

If you brought a bag full of iPhones to light up during the 4th of July - you are an Apple Redneck.

If you took a picture of your naked first cousin girlfriend with your iPhone - you are an Apple Redneck.

If you send an packaged iPhone with your name and return adress to your local Sheriff's office, with a letter threatening to release your Dad/Uncle or you'll blow the Sheriff's office to peices - you are an Apple Redneck.

If you think since you have an iPhone now, you should leave your first cousin girlfriend and date Paris Hilton, or Megan Foxx, or Heidi Klumm, or Rosie O'Donald - you are an Apple Redneck.

If you answer your iPhone with "Fire in the Hole!" - you are an Apple Redneck. (I was going to use this with the "first cousin girlfriend" refernce...but thought it may be too vulgar for some of you young bucks. *nudge nudge*...*wink wink*)

If you work for MS and went to an MS company meeting touting the pictures of you and Steve Jobs getting naked together on your iPhone - you are an Apple Redneck.

But if, you work for MS and went to an MS Meeting holding your iPhone up high to take a picture of Ballmer - You sir, are not an Apple Red, you are a oxymoron idiot!

 

[Guest]

Microsoft builds junk. Ballmer is a tasteless man who is leading a dying company. They innovate nothing, copy stuff of value too late to make use of it. Microsoft should be shut down. All you who defend them should be employed at Pontiac building Fieros. Those who are bold and stupid enough to mock iPhones should be forced back into your members only jackets. Face facts, Apple builds wonderful products and Microsoft lives of their former glory (Windows and Office).

 

[r3t4rd]

If you post comments like this:

[citation][nom]apquinn[/nom]Microsoft builds junk. Ballmer is a tasteless man who is leading a dying company. They innovate nothing, copy stuff of value too late to make use of it. Microsoft should be shut down. All you who defend them should be employed at Pontiac building Fieros. Those who are bold and stupid enough to mock iPhones should be forced back into your members only jackets. Face facts, Apple builds wonderful products and Microsoft lives of their former glory (Windows and Office).[/citation]

- You are an Apple Redneck

 

[deathblooms2k1]

etichi, you get voted down for more than the fact this community is mostly anti-mac. When you say things like "Ballmer is fat, Americans are fat" which has absolutely no relevance to Ballmer's qualifications to be a successful CEO then people might see you as somewhat arrogant. Now I wasn't there when Ballmer did this, so I only have my assumptions based on how toms' reported the event. But to me it seems like Ballmer was being playful about the ordeal, he took the guys phone, did not physically damage it and made fun of his primary competitor. Now to me if it was a CEO who was actually upset about it I think the course of events would be substantially different. Perhaps he would have actually physically destroyed the phone, or maybe he would ask one of his higher ups after the meeting to have the guy removed from the company. As far as I know he did neither, but instead just poked fun at the guy. And to be honest had it been me with the iphone, I would probably be laughing with him and not really taking it as a personal insult. I also see this being staged as a fairly good possibility. And etichi, if you think claiming (don't know if its true or not) you are American is going to give your arguments anymore credibility I think you're sadly mistaken.

signed,
-Fat Dumb Lazy American

 

[E7130]

Bad move on the employee's part, I don't think Pepsi employees can drink Coke on the job? tmike, its frowned upon to use competing company's products; You think Budweiser will be happy seeing its employees downing a Miller? It can be considered slander by the employee.

 

[backbydemand]

Is it just me or is Steve "Crazy" Ballmer a million times more interesting than Bill "Boring" Gates or Steve "Sickboy" Jobs?

By the way, if I had as much money as Ballmer, I would probably balloon up to 300 pounds from fine living.

 

[Guest]

People keep referring to a "competing product" when there is none. Microsoft has no competing product to the iPhone, so it's unclear why people would refer to it as such.

 

[eyemaster]

If I worked at any company that would ridicule me for buying a product from another company, I'd be upset and disappointed. There are many phones out there. Does Balmer make fun of Blackberries too? What about LG?

I'd hate to see him in the car business.

 

[knickle]

This is really simple. You can own whatever competing product you like. Just use your brain if you happen to carry it around at work.

How many of you that went for that big job interview told the interviewer that you believe in the company and you want to be a valued member of the team? I'm betting all of you did. Now ask yourself this question. Will flaunting products at work from the companies #1 Rival help advance your career?

No one should feel bad for the employee that didn't use his/her brain. Seriously... this isn't rocket science.