I want to welcome you to this very, very special occasion. This is actually part of our normal class. Doesn’t this look like a normal class at Stanford? This is MS&E 472, the Entrepreneurial Thought Leader Lecture Series. And every single week we bring in really exciting speakers. Normally we're...
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Steve Ballmer had always envisioned himself to be a big company guy - but he never dreamed that he would have to grow the company from the ground up. In this amusing anecdote on the roots of Microsoft’s salad days, the company CEO recalls how he he took on the business responsibilities at the fl...
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After just one year at Stanford’s business school before joining Microsoft, Steve Ballmer reflects upon the knowledge and courses that were most valuable to him in the real world. He recalls that it came in handy to read a balance sheet and understand the basics of cost accounting. Cour...
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Top stories include: The Pay Czar lays down the law on executive pay. The dollar is a weakling these days. And, we talk with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
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Have all of the great technology companies already been created? Not even close, insists Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO. The only thing for certain in the future of technology is its dynamism, and that the names and the players are always changing. Ballmer points to smart displays and better hum...
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Despite Microsoft’s size and market dominance, CEO Steve Ballmer considers himself to be a "mini venture capitalist" in a sea of bright ideas and new market possibilities. Working with the best and the brightest, his is the final word on tough decisions regarding which ideas and projects receive...
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Critical screening, careful thought processes, and cash-conscience customers don’t signal the end of the start-up, says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. But they do indicate that only the best and most solid ideas will receive the funding and other resources to bring them to fruition. As we reflect ...
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More venture capital means more companies, but it does not necessarily mean more innovation, says Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. And on that same token, the restrictions in financing that resulted from the financial crisis of 2008/2009 will not necessarily quash the future of innovation, eithe...
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Important ideas aren’t born overnight, stresses Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. They can take up to a decade or more to truly come to light. Examples of projects worth the wait include Windows, SQL databases, and the Google search engine. Hard work, he promises, will lead a revolution in the end.
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Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, considers the importance of balance and the tension between symbiotic and opposing forces in the enterprise. In this clip, he takes a philosophical perspective on company culture, including the interplay of far-reaching patience and meeting short-term goals, and t...
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Touch, voice, natural language input, smart hardware, and new platforms: Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, outlines the company’s $9 million path of product research for 2009. Overall, he states that the company is optimistic for what can be created in the future. In this clip, he talks about the co...
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