Steve Ballmer
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
But if we didn't have the monetization capability back through the phone, we weren't going to be able to make it work as a partnership because we had to put in the cash and therefore we had to get the return and it wasn't going to work. And it reached a point where – You had to buy the company or just cut bait totally on the whole phone thing. Yeah, just because the math wouldn't work.
What we had to do to be successful was beyond their financial capacity. But if we were going to do what it took to be successful, we couldn't do it on like $4.
What we had to do to be successful was beyond their financial capacity. But if we were going to do what it took to be successful, we couldn't do it on like $4.
No, not. I leave. And then what does it mean to emotionally detach? Because if you're not there, you have to emotionally detach. You can't say – because you can't control anything anymore. So it's hard. You don't want to stay quite that emotionally attached because it's like, oh, I got to get back in and fix everything. But I said, I'm going to be the best investor.
No, not. I leave. And then what does it mean to emotionally detach? Because if you're not there, you have to emotionally detach. You can't say – because you can't control anything anymore. So it's hard. You don't want to stay quite that emotionally attached because it's like, oh, I got to get back in and fix everything. But I said, I'm going to be the best investor.
I went to one shareholder meeting and I was kind of a dick in my opinion. I mean, literally one of the shareholder shareholder meetings. And I just, yeah, I was too emotionally attached. And so it took me about a year to say, I just have to emotionally detach. So it took some work, but I kind of was able to get there. But I'm still loyal. Didn't want to sell.
I went to one shareholder meeting and I was kind of a dick in my opinion. I mean, literally one of the shareholder shareholder meetings. And I just, yeah, I was too emotionally attached. And so it took me about a year to say, I just have to emotionally detach. So it took some work, but I kind of was able to get there. But I'm still loyal. Didn't want to sell.
There's one, then we get our philanthropy started. And then I do need to do something because we do need some of the asset value to give away. So I went through a bit where we gave some away, i.e. we put it into our donor advised fund. And I also sold a little bit at the time. And I was thinking- This is like 2015-ish? Yeah. Yeah, it might have been even 16, something like that.
There's one, then we get our philanthropy started. And then I do need to do something because we do need some of the asset value to give away. So I went through a bit where we gave some away, i.e. we put it into our donor advised fund. And I also sold a little bit at the time. And I was thinking- This is like 2015-ish? Yeah. Yeah, it might have been even 16, something like that.
And then, because our philanthropy was just ramping up. I mean, kind of even giving away money, but the dollar value was ramping up. And then I said, maybe I should just sell it all. Hmm. Full emotional detachment. Wow. Let's do full emotional detachment. Because look, it was my baby. It's my baby. I mean, I'm not a founder, but I think of myself as a founder. I was there so early.
And then, because our philanthropy was just ramping up. I mean, kind of even giving away money, but the dollar value was ramping up. And then I said, maybe I should just sell it all. Hmm. Full emotional detachment. Wow. Let's do full emotional detachment. Because look, it was my baby. It's my baby. I mean, I'm not a founder, but I think of myself as a founder. I was there so early.
And I hired basically everybody. And everybody was a senior leader. I'd recruited. You know, it's not true anymore. Now things have changed. There's probably only 10% of the people who are there now were there when I was there or something. Higher at the senior levels. I mean, I can go through the math on why that's true.
And I hired basically everybody. And everybody was a senior leader. I'd recruited. You know, it's not true anymore. Now things have changed. There's probably only 10% of the people who are there now were there when I was there or something. Higher at the senior levels. I mean, I can go through the math on why that's true.
My only thought process was emotional detachment. I was wrestling. You're ready to hit the button. You're ready to hit the sell button. I was wrestling. I was wrestling. Yeah.
My only thought process was emotional detachment. I was wrestling. You're ready to hit the button. You're ready to hit the sell button. I was wrestling. I was wrestling. Yeah.
And then the lady who works here, ex-Microsofty, who works here in finance, who's the woman who sort of really charts what's going on financially at Microsoft, she and her boss, who's another ex-Microsofty who used to work with me most closely on the financial stuff, but she says, you can't sell. You can't sell. This is going to be worth a lot more. You can't sell. You can't.