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After decades of mystery, former Microsoft CEO reveals the story behind his viral "Developers!" chant at company events. Earlier this year, during Microsoft's 50th birthday celebration, we seemingly got a front-row seat to Copilot AI's evolution into a companion and real friend, fully equipped with memory and a virtual body as part of Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman's, future plans for the AI-powered chatbot. But perhaps more interestingly, we also got a free nostalgic trip down memory lane, courtesy of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who took the stage at the special Copilot event for his Developers! Developers! Developers! chant. The viral chant can be traced back to a Microsoft developer conference in the early 2000s, which was often associated with Ballmer. Around the same time, the executive had just assumed his new role as Microsoft CEO, after Bill Gates stepped down from the helm. During an episode of the Acquired podcast, Ballmer recently revealed that there's much more to the chant than just hype. He indicated that he used the viral chant as a call to action for Microsoft (via Business Insider). At the time, the company had doubled down on developing Windows, Windows Server, and ActiveX. However, the tech giant wasn't as enthusiastic and proactive in getting third-party developers to build on top of these platforms. Ballmer saw this as a threat, facing fierce competition from the likes of Linux. Steve Ballmer also revealed that he was frustrated with Microsoft's culture in the early 2000s, predominantly viewing it as "just a platform company." As such, Ballmer's infamous chant was a call to action for Microsoft to take a proactive approach in encouraging developers to build on its platforms. "You have to be able to communicate that you really care about developers who are not your own," Ballmer added. "We just had to tell people, 'We want you, we want you, we want you.'" "I have my own kind of wild style," Ballmer concluded. Interestingly, fast forward into the future, Microsoft has seemingly gotten over the hump and is working closely with third-party developers across its platforms. Elsewhere, Ballmer revealed that he had a difficult time emotionally detaching from Microsoft; he almost sold all his stock to expedite the process. Ballmer also always had a sense of humor about the whole thing, including briefly redoing his chant at Microsoft's 50th Anniversary event, held in Redmond earlier in April, as captured on camera by our editor-in-chief, Daniel Rubino, and shared above. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of May): 2,377 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The former Microsoft CEO admits in a recent podcast how he struggled to emotionally detach from Microsoft after retiring. Sometimes we can lose ourselves in our professions, especially if we really like our job. It can become a labor of love, not just a source of monetary benefits. In a recent episode of the "Acquired" podcast, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed that he had a difficult time emotionally detaching from the company he'd helped build from the ground up (via ). Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 as the company's first business manager. Fast forward to the early millennium, and he took over from Bill Gates and became the company's CEO through 2014. Spending most of his professional life at Microsoft, Ballmer admits in this podcast that he had a difficult time letting go of the company: "It was my baby. I was there so early, and I hired basically everybody." Even after Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft CEO, Ballmer remained proactive in the company's affairs as an ultra-engaged investor. reading everything and attending shareholder meetings. He indicated that he was "kind of a dick" for it. In the end, Ballmer indicated that it took him a little over a year to emotionally detach from Microsoft. He even considered selling his Microsoft stocks to expedite the detachment process. "It was nothing to do with money," he added. "My only thought process was emotional detachment." However, he says a former colleague managed to discourage him from making the move. Ballmer indicated that his loyalty to Microsoft trumps emotional attachment. Luckily, the executive managed to strike a balance, retaining his loyalty to Microsoft but emotionally detached from its highs and lows. Bill Gates suffered from imposter syndrome in the early Microsoft days Bill Gates holding a copy of Windows XP in Times Square. (Image credit: Getty Images) Running a multi-trillion-dollar company like Microsoft isn't an easy feat. As you may know, Bill Gates and Paul Allen started the software giant in 1975, and the company celebrated its 50th birthday earlier this year in April. Bill Gates admitted that he had a difficult reveling in Microsoft's immense success in the tech landscape despite its impressive market capitalization that propelled him into a billionaire. The philanthropic billionaire indicated that the new reality only started dawning on him in 1998. The executive officially left his day-to-day role as Microsoft CEO in 2008, though he remained the chairman of the company's board until 2014. While he has since shifted his focus to philanthropic efforts via The Gates Foundation and is on the precipice of giving away all his wealth, recent reports suggest that Gates is still intimately involved in Microsoft's affairs, with his word being treated as "the gospel." Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of May): 2,377 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend