MIX08 – Steve Ballmer screams “Web developers. Web developers. Web developers”

On the second day of Microsoft’s MIX 2008 conference in Las Vegas for web developers and designers, Rafael Rivera – my liveblogging companion and Bryant Zadegan‘s cameraman, took the rare opportunity to stand up during question time to ask Steve Ballmer a question in the keynote with Guy Kawasaki. The response from Ballmer result shouts for itself.

[flv:web_developers.flv http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2333/2315494548_fd9f17da91_b.jpg 640 480]

Credits to Georg Holzer for taking out the camcorder and recording it on-demand without any prior notice.

88 insightful thoughts

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  2. I just have to say… that was one of the most interesting and enlightening high-level Microsoft interviews in… well, ever?

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  4. At least he’s better than Bill Gates. In the not-steal-money-from-customers aspect.

  5. Victor, why do you read this blog? Can you please find me a single example of Bill Gates stealing money? In fact Im pretty sure he has given away billions, not sure, but I think it is in the real of over 30 billion.

    Last I checked, my pile of $30 billion was still sitting in my corner so he deffinately did not steal my pile ‘o cash.

    Question to readers: Is your stack of $30 billion missing? If so, be sure to get on the first plane to Africa and steal it back from the over priveleged children there.

  6. “I just have to say… that was one of the most interesting and enlightening high-level Microsoft interviews in… well, ever?”

    Agreed. The questions were interesting and Ballmer was honest and no-nonsense in his replies.I’d love to see more of this type of keynote in the future.

  7. “He is even more into and behind Microsoft than Steve Jobs is it at Apple.”

    no way, never

    Steve Rules!

  8. Emballmer is hilariously out of touch. A guy in this industry who carries around a physical pad of paper, awesome!

  9. Someone is drinking way too much of the Kool-Aid! He’s almost saying “I make millions off of you delevoping shotty products” Between Vista and this kind of crap. Hello Apple! Of the two evils I picky the sexy evil. 🙂

  10. I feel a little dirty and nauseous after watching that… I’m going to go take a bath, and hope the microstench washes off.

  11. Richard Stallman? Hahaha You made me laugh men… that man doesn’t do a thing for the world, he just now how to speak, and thats the only thing he can do, do we know of something he has built that we use? Nope, he is not a developer, he is not building products, he aint helping no one, he is just like everyones boss, just living to take space in this universe.

  12. I’m just wondering what web designers and developers are doing at a Microsoft conference? Don’t they continue to put out Internet Explorer? Hasn’t it taken them 8 tries to hopefully get things right? Are they not the reason our profession has 1 thorn in its side (IE). Couldn’t they pay us back for all the extra work we have done to work with their browser, and finally use an already existing rendering engine that works? Couldn’t they just start shipping windows with Firefox installed instead of IE?

    That is unless they are all .NET developers…

  13. …or people who build site for just IE, but I’m going to assume HOPEFULLY that no one does that anymore in the world of standards, open data formats and all the other keywords you can spit out about the future of data.

  14. You call it 8 tries, well we could say those are only 8 releases, but Firefox even if they just getting to version 3, it’s the son of Netscape’s code, a lot of versions from netscape, at a hundred releases of Firefox, 2.0.0.12, 2.0.0.11, 2.0.0.10 and so forth. Yes it’s evolution and bringing the latest to the user, but well thats the way just to hide calling it another name to patches and hot fixes… And why I have to be forced to use firefox? just tell me why I shouldn’t have the freedom to select whatever I want? Yes IE is bundled on Windows, bundled you know, like your car bundles a stereo, and yes if I dont like that one, I’ll buy another one, but I like which ever browser I like, so stop bugging everyone with your desire to make the rest of the people use what you use.

    I build sited for IE, firefox and safari, on .NET, and it don’t takes to do much of a thing to make them work for all of them, been doing it for 7 years… So whats your point?

  15. fot the third time after deleting my first 2 comments (thank you democracy) >> this guy is a shit head

  16. Wow, this is Jerry Springer stuff….
    Also, Baldmer can afford to buy clothes that fit.
    Because, when you wear pleated pants, you are supposed to see the pleates!!!!
    (As compared to Bill G. always looked like he cut his own hair.)

  17. Mix’n up the Truth!
    So I’m on stage at Mix’08 to be “interviewed”, when out pops the iTard of the ages: Guy How’s-ya-Saki, comes trotting out!
    Ohhhhh! I hate this guy Guy! In the old days he used to clean our clocks and deride Windows to the Nth degree! …And now he’s up here on a stage with ME? (Somebody is gonna’ get fired when this is over!)
    How’s-ya-Saki, came out swinging! But I gave as good as I got or better!

    How’s-ya-Saki: Mr. Ballmer, it’s goooood to be wit ‘cha today!
    Ballmer: I wish I could say the same guy. (crowd laughs – I scored first)

    How’s-ya-Saki: Well, let’s get right to it! How about that Google? (he’s trying to get me angry)
    Ballmer: We’re in the game, and we’re the little engine that could, just working away, working away, working away! In online, yeah, it’s Google, Google, Google. I’d say we’re the underdog. (the crowd aplauds)

    How’s-ya-Saki: What about Web Developers sir?
    Ballmer: You want some love right here, right now? You want me to stand up and do that on the MIX stage?” (I screamed loudly, standing to cheers and pumping his fists) “You want to hear Web developers, Web developers, Web developers!” (I got a standing ovation then)

    How’s-ya-Saki: Well, (squirming in chair) Vista’s a dog and yah don’t got Yahoo! What ‘cha gonna’ dooooo? (the crowd boos)
    Ballmer: (motioning for the crowd to calm down) If Vista’s a dog, then it’s a cross between a Great-Dane and a Timber Wolf! (applause) … and the Yahoo thing is like being Bill Clinton on a date: one way or another, you are gonna have your way with ’em! (crowds laughs)

    This was going really well! Seeing How’s-ya-saki’s MacBook HotAir on the coffee table (not a surface) between us, I grabbed it and fell to the floor like it was so heavy it dragged me down.

    Ballmer: That thing is heavier than the Toshiba I use! It’s missing half the features I need. Where’s the DVD drive? I’ll have a bake-off with my ‘Tosh’ and that thing backstage. (the crowd was laughing hysterically!)

    Ballmer: I’ll bet this thing can fly like a frisbee!
    How’s-ya-Saki: (lunging towards me, but tackled by my BlackWater guy) NOOOOOOOOO!

    I then slung that thing just like a Frisbee out over the audience!
    DANG! It’s aerodynamic! It zipped a good 500′ before hitting the rear concrete wall and exploding!
    Upon seeing this the crowd was frenzied and started chanting: “BALLMAH! BALLMAH! BALLMAH! BALLMAH! ….”
    I looked down at Guy What’s-his-Saki, he was in a fetal position sobbing uncontrollablly, so I said to him: “Interview’s over guy!”
    I then jogged off the stage doing mi Ali air-punches!
    NOW THAT WAS A CONVENTION!

    btw: When giving an interview, It always helps to make sure that 90% of the audience works for you.

  18. “if the guy behind you gave you a dollar then i want 50 cents…”

    says it all.

    he’s a twonk.

  19. “and the Yahoo thing is like being Bill Clinton on a date: one way or another, you are gonna have your way with ‘em! (crowds laughs)”

    That was laugh out loud funny.

    As for Mr. Ballmer, I think the guy IS passionate. It clearly shows. If I was on stage I might do the same thing. That being said…I’m NOT a fanboi of Microsoft. Maybe I

  20. Eddie you are a dumbass, and I doubt you even have the required intelligence to manage a single click

  21. wat is this guy…….freaking RETARD… zune’s “gone with da wind, no where to be found.”….
    he laughed @ da iphone and its da biggest product ever now….
    he jumps around like a monkey and looks a lot like da sith lord from da star wars..

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