Tom Warren:
At one point during the meeting, Ballmer chose to play the song he used back at his first company meeting in 1983: Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”. He then proceeded to jump and dance around the stage screaming at the top of his voice “the sound of Microsoft!” After the song ended, an emotional Ballmer paused to “enjoy this for a minute,” with tears visibly streaming down his face. “You work for the greatest company in the world, soak it in.”
Ballmer also thanked the thousands of Microsoft employees who had queued to see his final speech. “I want to say thank you…this isn’t about any one person. It’s about a company that’s important, that’s forward thinking, that’s innovative.” Ballmer ended his emotional speech with Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’ “I’ve had The Time of My Life” playing in the background before he screamed “I’ve had the time of my life” and continued to dance and run around the stage. Microsoft employees in the audience shook hands with Ballmer and screamed “we love you” as they cheered and clapped throughout his final speech.
Even on his way out the door, Steve Ballmer is cringe-worthy and embarrassing. While I understand it’s an emotional time for the guy, this is just … rough.