As Steve Ballmer retires, his biggest
regret was
not taking a risk while CEO of Microsoft . As Ballmer said earlier in
his announcement, “we are almost uniquely poised to seize the
opportunity.” The problem is that Microsoft chose not to. In the
ever-changing world of technology, innovation is the key to success.
When it came to deciding between embracing new technology or sticking
with the system that got Microsoft to where they are today, they
chose the latter. It is no wonder that discontented shareholders are
pressuring Ballmer to step down. Under his leadership the company has
plateaued. Without taking risks and branching out, Microsoft cannot
grow. The company investors came to love was founded on seizing
opportunities to innovate. While it was not always the best product,
they always has a product in there contending for the market. By
choosing not to seize the opportunity when phones developed,
Microsoft showed investors they are no longer cutting edge. By not
taking an opportunity they were “uniquely poised to seize,”
Microsoft showed investors they were not willing to take a risk and
innovate.
I completely agree. Microsoft's strategy has for a long time been to analyse a market, wait for it to grow, then build something better. They sure have done this. It all started with the Zune. It was better then any mp3 player out there in anway shape and form. The problem? The market was already stable. Most customers already had a device and where not going to buy a new one simply due to extra features. Then Microsoft did it again with the Surface. It has been a long time since Microsoft introduced something new.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one could say apple is doing the same thing. The only difference? Apple does it quicker, and markets better. iPod? mp3 players existed years before its birth. iPhone? same thing. The biggest difference between these two companies is the customers. Apple sells to individuals, Microsoft sells to corporations.