Steve Ballmer steps down from Microsoft’s board
Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft ex-chief executive behind one of the most impassioned rants ever captured on camera and uploaded to Youtube, has stepped down from the company's board.
Ballmer's passing was announced last year, to be completed once Microsoft had found a successor, which they did in February. Satya Nadella was the anointed one.
By stepping down from the board Ballmer will not be removing himself entirely from the company he led for 12 years. He remains the largest shareholder at the computer giant.
Nor will he be fading into corporate obscurity: he has, after all, bought the LA Clippers for $2bn, which will do little to keep him from the business pages.
In a letter to his successor Ballmer wrote:
First, Microsoft has been my life’s work and I am proud of that and excited by what I see in front of the company and this leadership team. There are challenges ahead, but the opportunities are even larger. No company in the world has the mix of software skills, cloud skills, and hardware skills we have assembled.
Given my confidence and the multitude of new commitments I am taking on now, I think it would be impractical for me to continue to serve on the board, and it is best for me to move off. The fall will be hectic between teaching a new class and the start of the NBA season so my departure from the board is effective immediately.