Wow, that's some juicy gossip. I'll bet Mr. Ballmer will be pleased that his little hissy fit is posted for the world to see. If Google is just a house of cards, what's he so worried about?? hmmm.

• Posted by: BradFitz
• September 2, 2005 7:10 PM

Mr.Ballmer is going to find out the hard way of just how very wrong he is.

• Posted by: Jason
• September 2, 2005 7:36 PM

Ballmer is not worried about google. that's WHY he said he would burry them. granted google will be a strong contender against microsoft.but do you Really think the microsoft empire will lose?! doubt it.

• Posted by: matt
• September 2, 2005 7:57 PM

Funny stuff!

• Posted by: Opulent Records
• September 2, 2005 8:14 PM

He ought to be worried, because I think Google has a serious chance of dethroning Microsoft. He sounds more nervous in his rant than confident.

• Posted by: Vladimir
• September 2, 2005 8:29 PM

I love that phrase, "defected to Google," it gives this all an old-fashioned Cold War feel.

• Posted by: Bill Humphries
• September 2, 2005 9:50 PM

Wow.

Like wow... that's amazing. I guess Google is really going to do an OS and a browser.

• Posted by: Jason Calacanis
• September 2, 2005 9:54 PM

It could be argued that Microsoft has the means to kill Google at this point. All they have to do is launch their own adsense, sell adspace for very cheap, and pay websites that display them a lot. Microsoft could afford to do this to the ridiculous extent -- to the point where it's an insane loss in revenue until they take the relevant ad market away from Google. I'm scared to say it, but Google doesn't actually have a stable, reliable income at this point. Their stock offering and Google Earth Pro isn't enough revenue to survive an all out war with M$.

• Posted by: Stephen Dolenc
• September 2, 2005 9:58 PM

(continuation of last post) Googlestore.com won't save them either. They need to start releasing products that cut at the core of the microsoft empire. An office sweet, browser, OS, the works

• Posted by: Stephen Dolenc
• September 2, 2005 10:01 PM

(last continuation of post) I meant to say "suite."

• Posted by: Stephen Dolenc
• September 2, 2005 10:02 PM

Looking at my server logs, Google owns almost as much of the search market as Microsoft does the OS and word-processing markets. But of course it's much easier to change search engines than operating systems....

I wonder if we'll ever see a Google-branded OpenOffice, or more direct support from them for Firefox and Linux. Given Microsoft's enmity, the only way Google can survive in the long term is if it can reduce MS' stranglehold on its core markets.

• Posted by: Danny Yee
• September 2, 2005 11:58 PM

I love that this "hit the wires" at the Google-blacklisted C-Net.

This is an example of a positive publicity story for Google being disseminated by C-Net. The glaring omission of a comment from Our Friends In Mountain View just reflects poorly on them for their absurd punitive action. C-Net is a reputable news organization and blacklisting them only hurts Google on this story when it should be a perceived as a big PR gain vis a vis Ballmer's immature tirade. Duh.

• Posted by: dendrite
• September 3, 2005 2:20 AM

Ballmer is a bonehead
Gates is a geek
Microsloft is a methagenic conglomeration of clusterf*cked meglomaniacs

Google WILL prevail :)

• Posted by: wowhowman
• September 3, 2005 4:59 AM

Imagine being in the room and having to put up with this. Ballmer delivered a fantastic demonstration of exactly why people prefer to work at Google.

• Posted by: ZF
• September 3, 2005 5:13 AM

There is something unsettling about a billionaire throwing chairs and cursing over the loss of help.

Clearly Microsoft is shaken by Google.

• Posted by: MikeM
• September 3, 2005 7:18 AM

/me waits impatiently for John's book :)

• Posted by: Brian
• September 3, 2005 10:31 AM

Why is Ballmer so worried?

Google OS (??)
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/software/google-os--123473.php

• Posted by: Dimitar Vesselinov
• September 3, 2005 11:41 AM

I wonder if we'll be getting a video of this too for P2P shareage? ;)

• Posted by: Torley Wong/Torley Torgeson
• September 3, 2005 12:49 PM

i think many of you have the wrong idea here. the future will not be in OS and browsers, nor will it be in office suites. if microsoft doesnt change with the times, google will "win" by default. what makes it hard for microsoft is that google is #1 in "information" all around the world, and the rest of the world hasnt been developed nearly to the extent that the US has. google already has a strong market hold in ads, searching, and even some social networks with orkut. orkut is absolutely huge in other parts of the world, including brazil and iran. as it happens these places are also anti-microsoft and pro-open source.

all google does is route information. as this becomes more core to how people live, what made microsoft rich (and what keeps them rich) will eventually be phased out. googles core competency as essential for the "future," while a branded browser and DRM-able OS are really not. even if microsoft retains a stronghold in the US, the rest of the world will have more use for google, with linux and open-office and the like gaining popularity.

microsoft's core markets are bound to shrink, and already are (for example, apple and linux have been growing in market share). not to mention that in the future OS's will have to either be totally open or totally controlled by a single monopoly (whether this monopoly be a corporation or government sponsored "laws"). which do you think it will be? this is why microsoft has such a strong investment in entertainment with the xbox, DRM solutions, and "the windows media player." (and more).

as for google's core market, we have barely begun to see the value in intuitive information processing with google search and more recently gmail. as google extends talk, gmail, and other personalization features with tools like orkut, they will begin to offer solutions for "resource allocation" in a local way but on a global scale. think elance meets orkut and craiglists, but all done with the intuitive nature of gmail and google search. this will extend to your work, your play, managing your past and planning your future, all by building the pipes for other peoples info to flow through. (what was the first profitable web company? thats right ebay. what do they sell? the pipes.)

i cant wait :)

one more thing, microsoft cant just enter the ad market and operate at a loss to beat out google. besides that google does it better, heavy handed business tactices like these are what pushed microsoft into anti-trust court in the past...

• Posted by: raoul
• September 3, 2005 1:55 PM

please

• Posted by: shut UP
• September 3, 2005 2:03 PM

I love the arrogance of Ballmer!
It's what caused ME to use Firefox instead of
Internet Explorer. And the cheapie are easier and
FASTER to use for me to grab pictures with and
get them into my files! NO fifteen rows of Toolbar
to distract me, just FASTER!

• Posted by: Stig
• September 3, 2005 2:06 PM

Isn't this just how the guys over at the Onion would draw up a Ballmer response to a Google defection?

It's wonderful when life imitates art.

• Posted by: Lawrence Coburn
• September 3, 2005 4:29 PM

Who is to say that this is even true? Do you guys really believe EVERYTHING that you read?

• Posted by: Randy H.
• September 3, 2005 6:01 PM

I find the Google brand advocates funny. Google is indeed a house of card. And the reason is simple - if Google ceases to exist tommorrow, it would not matter to me or the majority of the Internet. There are plenty of 'search' technology out there.

But don't worry Google hypsters - Steve cannot defeat Google because Steve is a corporate guy where Google is not orthodox. That reason alone is why MSN Search will always be generic

• Posted by: John Blanch
• September 3, 2005 7:58 PM

I've been a long term hater of MS simply because I came from a UNIX background and hence supported open source. OS advocates have a legitimate right to fight against MS. But how can people support Google against MS? They are both corporations. Very very rich ones at that. They both exploit customers and investors (Google is placing more over-inflated shares just to cash in), and they gobble up promising new technologies from small rivals. Both produce "innovations" that are just gimmicks. I prefer to be suspicious of both and prefer the solace of the OS movement. I think it's somewhat pathetic for ordinary people with no vested interest in the corp to shout from the rooftops how cool Google is.

• Posted by: Malcolm Forbes
• September 4, 2005 12:23 AM

We'll never know for sure, but it seems very much in character. Steve Ballmer
enthuses with the best of the alpha males, and the downside of enthusiasm is
volatility.

There is plenty of search technology out there; there just isn't much that's very
good. Yahoo and Ask Jeeves have cleaned up their acts largely in response to the
Google challenge. MSN Search is an unfunny joke, and AOL is even worse-- though, to
be fair, MSN could pull off a radical improvement along with Vista. Bottom line,
without Google's influence, search might still be about 2001-level, plus text ads.

No offense, Malcolm, but I got a big kick out of your username-- the ultimate
capitalist. The answer to your question seems rooted in the OS movement to me.
Google, like Linux et al, has sold itself as a scrappy underdog acting For The
Benefit of All. Google's user base is just fine, but Google fans are getting less
rabid and less numerous. A seven-billion-dollar company needs few cheerleaders.

T Campbell
Search Engine Funnies
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/t

• Posted by: T Campbell
• September 4, 2005 5:30 AM

Randy, this IS sworn legal testimony. We have very good reason to believe it. Most people (despite what Bill Clinton will tell you) DON'T want to take the risk of lying under oath. Sure, it could be false, just as anything could, but the odds are that it's true.

• Posted by: Rainee Sue
• September 4, 2005 11:29 AM

Ballmer is an angry, foulmouthed blowhard at times? Where's the news? At least as far as this particular non-compete is concerned, I don't think it really matters much.

Where he will regret it, however, is if Google ever decides to smack MS with an anti-trust suit of any kind. Language like, "I'm going to fucking kill [any competitor]" plays very, very, very badly with judges, juries and attorneys general. Take it from someone who spent years in the trenches of the telco wars. The folks in charge of keeping monopolies in check are not big fans of the key players at the biggest companies in hugely important industries using language like that.

We're not supposed to "kill" our competitors, Steve. We're supposed to compete with them. That's how we get better products, cheaper prices, etc.

Whoopsie. Pay no attention to that man behind the big, blue screen of death.

• Posted by: Andy Havens
• September 4, 2005 4:03 PM

Hey John!

I did a Gooooogle search for the sentence;

'Ballmer Throws A Chair At F*ing Gooooogle'

and got I two hits. Then I did another search with the sentence;

'Ballmer Throws A Chair At Fucking Gooooogle',

and got seven hits, which leads me to believe he threw a fucking chair at Gooooole.

Chalk one up for accuracy in media!

R. Warlov

• Posted by: Robert Warlov
• September 4, 2005 9:59 PM

Malcolm:

but what about Google's Summer Of Code?

• Posted by: a.c.
• September 5, 2005 1:38 AM

Go Stevo!!

Next time make sure it does not hit my wall. You interrupted my snooze.

• Posted by: Bill Gates
• September 5, 2005 2:14 AM

Google is just a bunch of PhDs trying to screw some money and get laid. They have no product, no income, no long term strategy and no future. Google is possibly last but deffinitely biggest dot com baloon about to do the typical dotcom boooooom... I just imagine Booom logo in Google colour letters.

• Posted by: usera
• September 5, 2005 5:56 AM

steve - next time you post a comment, could you do us all a favour and stop using pseudonyms like "usera"

• Posted by: jf
• September 5, 2005 6:05 AM

I'll buy you all!

• Posted by: steve
• September 5, 2005 6:09 AM

I have never been to GOOGA and hopefully won't since the name don't sound right to me. Still looking for a good one besides MSN because it keeps loading TEREDO on my computer that slows everything down here on my computer and hate it so much! Any other better search engine or browser ideas?

• Posted by: Lara
• September 5, 2005 11:01 PM

Steve B. sounds like the overflated, dumbass ex-jock that he is. History will remember his pedestrian comments and lackluster accomplishments. He's a sycophant buffoon riding on the tails of milquetoast programmers (Gates and Allen). Rich, of course, but hardly one to be admired.

• Posted by: Temmy Weinberg
• September 5, 2005 11:11 PM

... sounds like something I would've done, except that chair would've hit you square in the face.

• Posted by: GFB
• September 6, 2005 7:17 AM

While the outburst may have been over the top, not to mention a legal faux pas that will be quoted in future antitrust lawsuits, I've got to kind of admire a billionaire CEO who's not a drone in a suit, who's not pillaging his own company, and who apparently still has lots of competitive fire in his belly.

• Posted by: rogerd
• September 6, 2005 7:46 AM

Finally, there is a viable competitor and serious thorn to Bill Gate and company. It's frustrating that we are forced to buy their faulty products and have to wait for them to tell you to come back later for the patches time and time again. You keep hearing how they squeeze out smaller companies who dare to challenge them. Whether Google has become one of the big boys is not the point. At least they are not focusing on setting up a monopoly. I may be naive, but I'll give Google the benefit of doubt when they state they will try to do no evil.

• Posted by: amused
• September 6, 2005 12:45 PM

Finally, there is a viable competitor and serious thorn to Bill Gate and company. It's frustrating that we are forced to buy their faulty products and have to wait for them to tell you to come back later for the patches time and time again. You keep hearing how they squeeze out smaller companies who dare to challenge them. Whether Google has become one of the big boys is not the point. At least they are not focusing on setting up a monopoly. I maybe naive, but I'll give Google the benefit of doubt when they state they will try to do no evil.

• Posted by: amused
• September 6, 2005 12:47 PM

I find that the people that post here have a very interesting take on the world :))

• Posted by: chris
• September 6, 2005 1:08 PM

From all the stuff I have heard about Googles OS I have to say that I cant wait. As a windows and Mandrake user I have to admit that MS is getting worse everyday. When someone can download a free OS thats just as good or better in many respects as one that costs between $85 to over $1700 for a single copy that has so many bugs that have to be patched constantly. The big question is why would someone do that. I cant wait till Mandrake comes up with some of the programs I run under winblows.

• Posted by: Bill
• September 6, 2005 10:49 PM

Microsoft is too fat. Can't see it's dick anymore. How do you expect to shoot straight if you can't see your dick?

• Posted by: Dennis
• September 7, 2005 1:14 AM

I wonder if he was sweating when he did it. He's a pretty precipitous dude.

• Posted by: winker
• September 9, 2005 1:04 PM

Wow.!!!
Some Story... Hey guys i think there is some string attached to google hiring Dr.Lee &other MS Professionals...

firstly ... Every one knows that google seems to be the only company which (If wanted) can directly go for the kill towards MS. b/c of the popularity it is gaining....

Second ... its been quite a long time since open systyems are in much need of a strong support from a comapny which can lift them to to a position where they can match to Windows ( google's support could prove to be significant in this case) ....

Hey wait is it the missing link.... !!!!

Is google really building an OS... with the help of the global communiti (Or rather we-hate-MS community) .. If yes then it could prove to be serious gamble for google. which if proved rightly then could see the rise of GOOGLE (Read MS days r over) .

We'll r the days coming when we'll here the making of "Goondows" (Thats a first) ......

• Posted by: Karan
• September 10, 2005 9:56 AM

Google sucks; they blacklisted our meta search engine without an explanation: www.sodora.com

Kudos on sticking it to them...

• Posted by: sodora
• September 10, 2005 3:21 PM

I feel very sorry for that chair.
By the way my family has a good running chair business. Can anyone help me to introduce myself and this business to Microsoft? For sure they will now be interested in buying us. And Steve will also understand that Google has no chairs yet, creating the unique opportunity to marketeer and sell the single chair concept to the world.
Ballmer should understand that competition in software is already dead: MS-Office, Windows, Internet Explorer, Exchange, … all these products rule by far the world and they all belong to Microsoft.
It is time Microsoft starts to ultimately undertand that competition is anywhere but in software. The company now starting to invest in monopolizing all other but software products is going to master the world totally. Imagine: one washing powder, one kind of rice, one crude oil, one car (professional and home), tv sets, phones, planes … it will all luckily belong to MS. Then Google dies automatically: no one will ever have to search for anything any more.
So, that is your strategy, Steve. Do not try to imitate Googles. Go for the kill, don’t take prisoners. And start with chairs, my dearest family’s business. We are for sale at a reasonable price.

• Posted by: VaPam
• September 12, 2005 6:49 AM

If you think the chair-throwing episode was Stev Ballmer at his best (worst?) look at these clips:

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/sellswindows.php

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2403644?htv=12

• Posted by: Steve2
• September 13, 2005 1:59 AM

As much as I adore Linux and hate Microsoft everybody here is wayy off. How can you say that a search engine is the next 'holy grail' of computing? Who actually believes that Google will come out with an OS? These seem like VERY forwarding-thinking ideals from a company that's only released sister products to its core competency, search.

Without an OS how will you get there?

The only real threat to the MS monopoly is the open source movement. I say Open Source b/c Linux alone won't win it. It's Webservers, Mail servers, the OS, Office productivity suites, CMS systems, CRM systems, etc. that will eventually eat away MS marketshare and shut MS down. Unfortunately, I don't see the strength that I'd like to in the open source movement.

Google is an information service. Without the means of getting to it how can you say that it will defeat MS alone? The OS and Office Productivity suites are where business spends it's time, not so much on the 'Net. At least those that actually are in business, doing business, or making an honest profit.

As much as I've seen AJAX hyped it's not a desktop app replacement by any means. Ever had Google Earth time out and just go to la la land? Ever seen it be as quick and responsive as Open Office or Word? I really doubt it.... When I can have an office suite online, have it be as usable and fast as a fat client revision, and have flexible data interchange (e.g. local, secure storage anyone?) then I'll see Google making an Office suite or OS. Many have tried, all have insofar failed. Until they can get past the previously insurmountably hurdles then I don't see jack squat happening from Google being competition to MS.

You guys are all a little off in the head...screw it back on and think about your 'predictions'.

Frankly, I think Balmer is just a little pissed that (most likely due to anti-trust) he can't sink Google overnight through the cost-cutting on MSN ads that somebody else already posted...

Finally, I do online advertising and got better business responsiveness by a factor of 3 through MSN paid inclusion vs. Google ads. Where did I send the lion's share of my business?

• Posted by: Dave
• September 14, 2005 10:00 AM

Dave;

"As much as I've seen AJAX hyped it's not a desktop app replacement by any means. Ever had Google Earth time out and just go to la la land?"

Google Earth has nothing to do with AJAX.
Perhaps you mean Google Maps?

• Posted by: ElCapitanAmerica
• September 16, 2005 11:05 PM

Bring it, Ballmer.

• Posted by: Eric Schmidt
• September 20, 2005 9:01 PM

Balder seems like every other corporate wonk I've run into. Girl's got her tie wrenched up too tight.

He's the man. He rocks. Throw a chair to intimidate some brainy engineers so they go back into their cage and start coding again.

What a dork.

He is precisely the type of jerk I love taking apart piece by little piece. And if he gets huffy, I've got some pipe-beating brothers than can bring it to his billionaire ass.

• Posted by: Jamie
• September 25, 2005 4:40 AM

Why doesn't Steve just ask Google for help. Make the game a WIN WIN for a change?

Why be a big honcho in the pond and throw fits? be cool and "don't be evil"

Mike from

• Posted by: Mike
• September 26, 2005 6:56 AM

Wow there is alot of linux bigots here...

• Posted by: Tony
• October 23, 2005 2:41 PM

Is Ballmer really that clueless?? I mean he works for Microsoft and all, so you know, that surely he would know what to do in this situation.

Instead of swearing around, fucking up chairs and bellowing at his 'former' employees, he should just get off his ass and start working on something that can take on Google.

Anyways, I've always admired the propagators of Google. Despite heavy competition (Microsoft), they still go on with their lives to improve and innovate something that is already good.

2 THUMBS UP for Google!

• Posted by: Arrha
• October 25, 2005 5:03 AM

I think this is all just getting out of hand.....

• Posted by: qlic
• November 4, 2005 2:18 PM

Many breakthroughs have been made by people who want to fucking kill each other. ;)

• Posted by: Mike
• November 11, 2005 9:55 AM

I THINK I WILL DIE AND I WON T SEE TO FALL MICROSOFT, I REALLY THINK IT S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
DO YOU WANT TO PLAY AGAINST THEM????

• Posted by: Christian
• November 13, 2005 12:57 PM

Google is going to bend Microsft over and break a new hole,
MS doesn't stand a chance, this is not a money war not anymore, MS has already lost and no matter how much $$$ they spend it won't make any difference.

There's A new Coolness on the web and it's name is GOOGLE, say goodbye to bill gates, if he's lucky he may be able to find a job at google as a fetch boy.

• Posted by: googlicious
• November 24, 2005 5:14 PM

Ballmer is an effeminate poseur, desperately attempting to cut the profile of a multi-national's CEO while knowing full well that he appears to all the world like a rotting sack of oozing, fermenting potatoes. All that disco zeig heiling, shouting and grimacing like an orangutan shitting in a tree does nothing to hide his girlish puffy face, his middle-aged secretary's spread and that slight lisp. The chair throwing incident is really a faux machismo burlesque of his lifelong interest in interior decoration. In another life, he'd be one of the consultants on the Queer Eye show.

If he had any sack at all, he would not have asked Lucovsky about his plans at all. He would have just pulled out his eyes and skull-fucked him to death on a LiveMeeting simulcast to the entire Redmond campus. Then he would have silently hunted down Dr Lee and cooked him with pineapple and cherries and eaten him on another simulcast while reciting the names of Microsofts 10,000 enemies whom he would predict he will eat alive. "I prefer 'em wriggling and screaming, but the fact is I like Chinese food," Steve would say, revealing his personal side and playful interest in exotic cuisine. "Why the fuck should I bury what I can fucking eat, you fucking cunts!" he would conclude, bits of Dr Lee flying from between his teeth.

Chicks shout and throw things. Real men kill in silence and consume their prey alone. Given Ballmer's behavior, he might as well show up at corporate meetings in a ball gown and a bee hive hair-do.

• Posted by: Roberto Sumatra-Bosch
• December 1, 2005 7:55 AM

Just imagine if Mr T was in the room at the same time...

• Posted by: Rob
• December 12, 2005 1:34 AM

I've been a long term hater of MS simply because I came from a UNIX background and hence supported open source. OS advocates have a legitimate right to fight against MS. But how can people support Google against MS? They are both corporations. Very very rich ones at that. They both exploit customers and investors (Google is placing more over-inflated shares just to cash in), and they gobble up promising new technologies from small rivals. Both produce "innovations" that are just gimmicks. I prefer to be suspicious of both and prefer the solace of the OS movement. I think it's somewhat pathetic for ordinary people with no vested interest in the corp to shout from the rooftops how cool Google is.

• Posted by: xunleashed
• January 23, 2006 8:26 PM

Well its better to throw footballs then chairs ha ha ha ha

• Posted by: Car Insurance Quote
• February 17, 2006 1:07 AM

awesome site, you've got the skills to go far!!! keep up the great work!!

• Posted by: Bob
• March 12, 2006 12:09 PM

maybe it was a football with a picture of a chair on it

• Posted by: random password generator
• April 13, 2006 9:52 AM

With the resouces of Microsoft and their ambition the race is still on. I suppose Google is going to see more severe competition in the future.

• Posted by: Tom Hielscher
• May 29, 2006 5:01 AM

With both Scoble and Scoble's recruiter quitting, Ballmer must order a lot of new chairs nowadays.

• Posted by: Mike Abundo
• June 29, 2006 9:39 PM

It almost makes me want to try to get a job at Microsoft, just in order to encourage Google to hire me away from them...

• Posted by: Thomas
• July 12, 2006 8:24 AM

A man is known by the friends he keeps.

• Posted by: Nike
• August 1, 2006 10:48 PM

What a chairman...

• Posted by: J8 SEO
• October 17, 2006 1:05 PM

I use Linux most of the time because it's better, I use Firefox all of the time because it's better, I use Google all the time because there's no good alternative. I don't hate MS but the only reason they make so much money is that most people have never heard of Linux and most shops sell windows with their computers without letting their customers know about any alternatives... Making a good search engine won't make them any money... So where's the incentive for MS to make a good product...

Though now PCWorld have named Ubuntu as the best OS in the world they may have to start getting off their asses and work... I honestly hope that MS goes bankrupt because basically they're forcing everyone to use their OS by forcing ignorance on people and convincing everyone that Linux is evil and unsafe...

• Posted by: Paul
• November 2, 2006 9:23 AM

Classic info. I think Mr. Ballmer may be someday be asking Google to throw him a bone, as Google continues to eat MS' lunch across a number of business arenas.

• Posted by: Car
• January 19, 2007 7:06 PM

What the hell do you think, that a robot can type text? Is r for red ass. Google is the worst thing to happend to this country since Wally World. Correction, Geoge Bush.

• Posted by: Pissed Off
• October 14, 2007 2:19 PM

hehehe

i wish mr roberto sumatra-bosch will make an animation of his little story. it will make the headlines.

competition drives this world. microsoft and google happen to be very good at what they're doing, although google right now seems better positioned to take on the future of internet-driven computing, coupled with some developments from the likes of linux, firefox, opera, and others from the freeware community, which work well to the advantage of google.

• Posted by: ob$erver
• February 10, 2008 5:18 AM

Ha ha ha! What a psycho! So nice to have a troll like that in charge of once of the world's richest and most powerful companies...

• Posted by: Binky
• March 10, 2008 1:25 AM