Steve Ballmer ran Microsoft as CEO from 2000-2014. During his time as CEO, Microsoft's annual revenue surged from $25 billion to $70 billion. Ballmer oversaw the successful acquisition of Skype, expanded Microsoft's lead in various enterprise business areas, unveiled the first generation of the successful Surface line of laptops, and maintained the profitability of the Windows and Office brands at impressive rates. Yet, by 2014, it was clear that Steve Ballmer had to resign for the company to move forward. Satya Nadella has taken the company into a fresh, new direction, with a focus on cloud computing - a new area of growth that leverages all of Microsoft's strengths in a very compelling way.
Sometimes change is for the better for everyone.
