Instead, it’s more for the sleaze – ball area of publications, maybe somewhere in the gossip columns or materiel for the enquirer.
Apparently, Steve Ballmer went berserk and issued statements leading to an article titled Microsoft CEO: ‘I’m going to f—ing kill Google’, whose gist the title delivers fairly well.
In reference to a 6 year key employee’s leaving for google, he allegedly goes:
“I’m going to f—ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again,” the declaration quotes Ballmer. “I’m going to f—ing kill Google.”
Other than the fact that this is happening between MS and Google, it fairly has little to do with technews. In fact, it can happen between the two water delivery companies that service our village. At this, I am now imagining Mang Tonyo, the driver of Soriano’s Water Delivery Service, upon seeing one of Bryan’s trucks from Bryan’s Water Supply beating him to a client, swearing under his breath “I’m going to f—ing kill Bryan! I swear it!”
Which basically means, this article is more for the business area in general. In fact, no. This is for the area of a publication which deals with a person’s, well, ethics or management.
Anyway, on a personal note, I’d like to rewind some 8 years ago when I left a company and the first thing our Australian GM said was, “But what about the company?”. To this day, I have nothing but ill thoughts of the dude. To this day, I still entertain thoughts of coming to him with a baseball bat for certain things he did to us and my friends during our tenure there, and I’m not even afraid of him reading this because really, I’d be happy for an excuse to do the baseball bat thing.
On the other hand, when I raised same topic to the Englishman who was both our bosses, the first thing he said was “Good luck Gary. (He then talks about how invaluable I was to the company during a difficult time when we were having troubles.), I wish you the best and don’t forget to keep in touch.”. To this day, if he asks a favor, I would do it. I’d mow his lawn for him if he asked, remembering the heartfelt way he took care of me and my team and how he had nothing but our interests in mind while we were there. I still think of him as the man and the others remember him fondly when we talk about our past.
So anyway, Ballmer.
His allegations of Google snatching up their former employee Kai Fu Lee is one thing. Ballmer sees this as a threat to Microsoft’s strategy towards China, Lee apparently being their main man towards that goal. Fine and dandy.
But what about Lee? What if he *gasp* doesn’t want to work at Microsoft anymore? What if he sees a better future for himself at Google, notwithstanding the fact that it may (or may not actually) do anything against Microsoft? What if he just wants to leave, and it just so happened that he’s a topnotch VIP for any tech company with a topnotch goal such as entering the Chinese market, and therefore he goes to a company that would do very well with him, a company he feels he can contribute to?
There are other things: What will potential Microsoft top executives think now of holding a Microsoft post? How will they appreciate a boss who thinks more of unconfirmed gains or losses instead of their welfare? What will the general public think of a boss whose first instance is to leverage a lawsuit against an affirmed competitor? One who’s obviously gaining ground against them at that?
It appears to me that, as many contracts tend to do, it forgets the fact that Mr. Lee is a person. While non – competition may have the best of intentions, it should not keep him from wanting to find a better life for himself, in effect what he’s doing upon leaving MS, where he already played a substantial role as a Corporate Vice President.
Moreover, Ballmer’s using this against him assumes that he will lie and steal MS’s secrets to share it with Google. Moreover still, it assumes he has no free will, and that an intelligent man like himself can be influenced by headhunting tactics, as if material gain is the only thing that might influence him to leave, as opposed to just seeking greener pastures.
For whatever reason Microsoft nee Ballmer may say to deliver themselves as righteous, the whole things speaks volumes of what type of character Ballmer is, or the lengths he and his company would do to stay ahead. They might actually win in court. They have a good argument and sure, it’s not hard to make a judge see their point of view. But to what end? Microsoft will look like a wounded old has – been clamoring for every little advantage it can get. The fact that it’s doing so against an up and coming competitor that leaves them eating its dust, with no qualms of using the courtroom to get ahead in lieu of technological advantage and innovation supporting this. It speaks of Ballmer being a cranky, narrow minded boss, very much like the Dilbert’s pointy haired one, single mindedly selfish and looking for ways to get ahead at any cost, focusing on the bottom line with little regard to his relationship with employees.
I imagine it might be corny, but maybe Ballmer can take a page off of my old boss’s management book. Wish your past employees well. Tell them you appreciate the time they spent with you, and their efforts were highly regarded. Regard anywhere your former employees might want to go or anything they might want to do, even if it’s with a competitor, as a personal victory for yourself, just because you were their boss at one time. (and since you’re Microsoft, make sure it hits the papers, titled something like, “Microsoft wishes former employees well!”, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.)
And with that earn trust and respect. You cannot put value to that.