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      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1.033",
      "endTime": "3.775",
      "body": "In college, I owned a Microsoft Zune."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "4.091",
      "endTime": "8.33",
      "body": "It was this big, bulky iPod competitor, but I loved it."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "9.257",
      "endTime": "15.752",
      "body": "But there was another memory I have about Microsoft from that same time period that I've always wondered about."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "16.491",
      "endTime": "20.813",
      "body": "As a broke college kid, of course I wanted Windows 7, but couldn't."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "19.78",
      "endTime": "25.225",
      "body": "didn't afford it. Somehow I came across a page from Microsoft where you could sign up to host"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "25.225",
      "endTime": "46.325",
      "body": "a Windows 7 launch party. Of course I signed up and to my surprise I actually received a box in"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "46.325",
      "endTime": "53.231",
      "body": "the mail with a Windows 7 Ultimate license, some streamers, a tablecloth, a deck of cards, and"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "53.231",
      "endTime": "58.976",
      "body": "balloons. And thinking back to that, I always wondered who at Microsoft would have thought to"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "58.976",
      "endTime": "64.101",
      "body": "do something like that. But after researching this episode, I think I know whose idea it might"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "64.101",
      "endTime": "72.329",
      "body": "have been. Steve Ballmer. From his Midwestern roots and Harvard days to his high energy leadership as"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "72.329",
      "endTime": "75.752",
      "body": "CEO on this episode of In The Shell."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "77.573",
      "endTime": "83.499",
      "body": "Hello. Hey, why we're not shipping Windows 98? Absolutely. Mr. Jobs, you're a bright and"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "83.499",
      "endTime": "89.104",
      "body": "influential man. Here it comes. It's sad and clear that on several accounts you've discussed,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "89.164",
      "endTime": "95.25",
      "body": "you don't know what you're talking about. The key to success is developers, developers, developers,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "95.71",
      "endTime": "100.174",
      "body": "developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "100.174",
      "endTime": "105.86",
      "body": "Jens and I don't own phones. Neither should you people, if you have any common sense."
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    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "137.669",
      "endTime": "146.037",
      "body": "Steve Ballmer was born March 24, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan. He was an exceptional student, reported"
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    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "146.037",
      "endTime": "151.722",
      "body": "the valedictorian of his high school. Ballmer's smarts earned him admission to Harvard University"
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    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "151.722",
      "endTime": "158.248",
      "body": "where he continued to stand out. He graduated with dual degrees in applied math and economics."
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    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "159.209",
      "endTime": "165.855",
      "body": "In a dorm down the hall lived a fellow student who would change Ballmer's life, a shy computer nerd"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "165.855",
      "endTime": "172.921",
      "body": "named Bill Gates. Ballmer and Gates became friends and late-night study buddies. Gates later recalled"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "172.921",
      "endTime": "179.067",
      "body": "being amazed by Ballmer's excess energy and effortless social confidence, saying Steve Ballmer"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "179.067",
      "endTime": "186.394",
      "body": "had it beyond anyone I had ever known. After Harvard, Ballmer temporarily took a conventional path."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "186.394",
      "endTime": "194.221",
      "body": "He spent two years as an assistant product manager at Procter & Gamble. By 1979, Ballmer enrolled"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "194.221",
      "endTime": "200.747",
      "body": "at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, but he would not stay long. In 1980, Bill Gates"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "200.747",
      "endTime": "206.092",
      "body": "came calling. Gates, who had dropped out of Harvard to found a small startup called Microsoft,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "206.633",
      "endTime": "213.139",
      "body": "wanted his college friend to join him. Ballmer faced a fork in the road. Continue his MBA"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "213.139",
      "endTime": "220.966",
      "body": "or take a gamble on this software company. In June 1980, Steve Ballmer dropped out of Stanford to join"
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    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "220.966",
      "endTime": "227.091",
      "body": "Microsoft, becoming the company's 30th employee and the first business manager hired by Gates."
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    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "227.752",
      "endTime": "233.137",
      "body": "Gates knew he needed a savvy business partner to handle the business side of the growing operation."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "233.557",
      "endTime": "239.483",
      "body": "Ballmer was initially hired at a $50,000 salary plus a hefty profit-sharing deal."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "240.163",
      "endTime": "247.67",
      "body": "That profit share grew so large that by 1981, as Microsoft incorporated, Ballmer converted it into an"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "247.67",
      "endTime": "255.117",
      "body": "8% equity stake in Microsoft. According to Gates, he even gave up part of his own equity to make room"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "255.117",
      "endTime": "261.763",
      "body": "for Ballmer. Ballmer's early role at Microsoft was a bit of everything. He managed hiring in HR,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "261.763",
      "endTime": "262.004",
      "body": "project where he ended up just チャンタ"
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      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "262.004",
      "endTime": "262.024",
      "body": "Kevin Blockberger, which was DMN, as well-readyR going is a wide Glückwunemy."
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      "speaker": "Josh",
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      "body": "J"
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    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "262.164",
      "endTime": "268.114",
      "body": "wrangled contracts and finances, and basically handled all the logistical and managerial tasks"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "268.114",
      "endTime": "273.759",
      "body": "that the young techies, like Gates and co-founder Paul Allen, weren't as interested in."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "274.554",
      "endTime": "278.079",
      "body": "This freed Gates to focus on technology and product vision,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "278.283",
      "endTime": "281.604",
      "body": "while Ballmer kept the gears of the company turning smoothly."
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    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "282.318",
      "endTime": "289.307",
      "body": "One of Microsoft's first big breaks was a deal to provide the operating system for IBM's personal computer."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "289.307",
      "endTime": "296.603",
      "body": "And while Gates often gets credit for the shrewd negotiation that lit Microsoft license MS-DOS broadly,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "296.888",
      "endTime": "303.735",
      "body": "it was the overall business discipline instilled by Ballmer that enabled Microsoft to seize that opportunity and scale it."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "304.734",
      "endTime": "309.584",
      "body": "By the early 1990s, he was essentially the number two executive at Microsoft,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "309.849",
      "endTime": "314.637",
      "body": "which was formalized when he became Executive VP of Sales and Support in 1992."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "315.286",
      "endTime": "321.511",
      "body": "He cultivated Microsoft's aggressive sales force and its win-at-all-costs business mentality."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "322.281",
      "endTime": "328.587",
      "body": "Without Ballmer's contributions, Microsoft might have never dominated with Windows and Office the way it did."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "329.804",
      "endTime": "332.946",
      "body": "Ballmer's physical energy became legendary at Microsoft."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "333.555",
      "endTime": "339.11",
      "body": "He was known to pound tables in excitement and high-five everyone in sight after closing a big deal."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "339.536",
      "endTime": "344.423",
      "body": "Of course, having two strong-willed leaders at the top meant occasional clashes."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "345.051",
      "endTime": "355.919",
      "body": "In later years, stories emerged of strategic rifts between Gates and Ballmer, for example, over how quickly to embrace the internet or whether to pursue certain acquisitions."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "356.243",
      "endTime": "362.995",
      "body": "For the most part, though, the Gates-Ballmer partnership is remembered as one of the most successful duos in tech history."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "363.421",
      "endTime": "366.726",
      "body": "They remained close friends, even when they disagreed."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "367.111",
      "endTime": "372.579",
      "body": "For all their contrasts, the two shared at least one trait, an unyielding passion for Microsoft."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "367.152",
      "endTime": "367.76",
      "body": "And f***ed."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "373.5",
      "endTime": "379.068",
      "body": "By 1998, Ballmer was named President, officially Bill's second-in-command."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "379.589",
      "endTime": "385.137",
      "body": "Two years later, in January 2000, Steve Ballmer became CEO of Microsoft,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "385.437",
      "endTime": "389.503",
      "body": "as Gates stepped down from that role to focus on software architecture."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "390.384",
      "endTime": "395.111",
      "body": "With Gates gradually stepping back, Ballmer became the public face of Microsoft."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "395.111",
      "endTime": "399.637",
      "body": "And what a face it was, sweaty, red, and beaming with intensity."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "400.438",
      "endTime": "406.186",
      "body": "Ballmer's keynote addresses became staples of tech conferences known for their unbridled energy."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "406.647",
      "endTime": "412.114",
      "body": "At a time when rivals like Apple had the cool and composed Steve Jobs as CEO."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "412.615",
      "endTime": "419.585",
      "body": "Today, we're introducing three revolutionary products."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "420.627",
      "endTime": "423.221",
      "body": "Microsoft had the bombastic Balmer."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "424.038",
      "endTime": "430.227",
      "body": "In one memorable entrance, Balmer danced Goofy with Bill Gates on stage at the Windows 95 launch party."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "430.594",
      "endTime": "437.355",
      "body": "In another, he lost his voice screaming, I love this company, to an auditorium of Microsoft employees."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "437.703",
      "endTime": "439.623",
      "body": "I have four words for you."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "441.42",
      "endTime": "445.893",
      "body": "I love this company."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "446.2",
      "endTime": "446.792",
      "body": "Yes!"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "450.264",
      "endTime": "457.332",
      "body": "Personally, I would welcome that kind of energy back to launch events, instead of the powerpoints of empty promises from corporations."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "457.699",
      "endTime": "459.701",
      "body": "But Balmer was more than a cheerleader."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "460.007",
      "endTime": "462.99",
      "body": "As CEO, he made bold strategic moves."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "463.521",
      "endTime": "469.301",
      "body": "Perhaps his biggest gamble was pushing Microsoft into the gaming and consumer electronics business."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "469.771",
      "endTime": "473.1",
      "body": "In 2001, Microsoft debuted the X-Men."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "472.059",
      "endTime": "476.796",
      "body": "It was a totally new arena for the company known for Windows and Office."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "477.7",
      "endTime": "479.988",
      "body": "The Xbox launch wasn't an overnight moneymaker."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "480.329",
      "endTime": "483.762",
      "body": "In fact, it took years for the council division to turn a profit,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "484.023",
      "endTime": "490.607",
      "body": "but it eventually established Microsoft as a major player in the $150 billion gaming industry."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "491.511",
      "endTime": "495.786",
      "body": "Fast forward, an Xbox is a cornerstone of the Microsoft empire,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "496.107",
      "endTime": "500.102",
      "body": "validating Balmer's vision of diversifying beyond PC software."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "500.925",
      "endTime": "505.02",
      "body": "Balmer also championed various product launches and expansions."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "505.342",
      "endTime": "511.524",
      "body": "The company released new versions of Windows, like Windows XP in 2001, which was a huge success,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "511.986",
      "endTime": "516.764",
      "body": "and later Windows Vista in 2007, which was not."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "517.828",
      "endTime": "521.622",
      "body": "Vista's buggy rollout and mixed reviews were a black eye for Microsoft."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "522.465",
      "endTime": "524.532",
      "body": "Balmer himself admitted years later,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "524.532",
      "endTime": "527.837",
      "body": "that Vista disappointed users and hurt Microsoft's reputation,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "528.117",
      "endTime": "534.386",
      "body": "but they rebounded with Windows 7 in 2009, restoring faith in the flagship product."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "535.268",
      "endTime": "539.353",
      "body": "Ballmer's Microsoft also aggressively grew the enterprise side of the business."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "539.774",
      "endTime": "544.32",
      "body": "Under his watch, Microsoft built out a massive suite of enterprise software."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "545.101",
      "endTime": "549.007",
      "body": "Ballmer invested in these quietly, and by the early 2010s,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "549.227",
      "endTime": "553.573",
      "body": "Microsoft's enterprise division was generating around $20 billion annually."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "554.575",
      "endTime": "558.48",
      "body": "There were, of course, missteps and missed opportunities during Ballmer's tenure,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "558.7",
      "endTime": "561.044",
      "body": "and he got plenty of criticism for them."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "561.725",
      "endTime": "566.091",
      "body": "Perhaps most notably, Ballmer underestimated the smartphone revolution."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "566.411",
      "endTime": "571.458",
      "body": "When Apple's iPhone debuted in 2007, Ballmer infamously laughed at it."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "571.799",
      "endTime": "576.145",
      "body": "Steve, let me ask you about the iPhone and the Zune, if I may."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "576.566",
      "endTime": "577.006",
      "body": "The Zune..."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "577.006",
      "endTime": "582.171",
      "body": "I was getting some traction and Steve Jobs goes to Macworld and he pulls out this iPhone."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "582.474",
      "endTime": "584.094",
      "body": "What was your first reaction when you saw that?"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "586.221",
      "endTime": "589.421",
      "body": "$500? Fully subsidized with a plan?"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "589.603",
      "endTime": "592.175",
      "body": "I said, that is the most expensive phone in the world,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "592.276",
      "endTime": "596.266",
      "body": "and it doesn't appeal to business customers because it doesn't have a keyboard,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "596.448",
      "endTime": "598.474",
      "body": "which makes it not a very good e-mail machine."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "599.02",
      "endTime": "601.127",
      "body": "We all know how that prediction turned out."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "601.41",
      "endTime": "606.149",
      "body": "The iPhone went on to dominate, and Microsoft's own mobile efforts struggled."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "607.385",
      "endTime": "611.982",
      "body": "Balmer's Microsoft did try to compete in mobile, launching Windows Phone in 2010,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "612.265",
      "endTime": "615.405",
      "body": "and even acquiring Nokia's handset business in 2013,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "615.405",
      "endTime": "620.63",
      "body": "but by then, Apple and Google's Android had a stranglehold on the market."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "621.116",
      "endTime": "627.151",
      "body": "Many observers argue that Microsoft lost a decade in mobile and tablets under Balmer's leadership,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "627.455",
      "endTime": "629.48",
      "body": "forcing the company to play catch-up later."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "630.191",
      "endTime": "634.662",
      "body": "Ballmer was also slow to embrace emerging consumer trends like music players."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "635.109",
      "endTime": "641.45",
      "body": "The Zune, which Microsoft launched in 2006, was their late answer to the iPod, and it flopped."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "642.527",
      "endTime": "646.185",
      "body": "Ballmer also wasn't afraid of big bets via acquisitions."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "646.49",
      "endTime": "651.185",
      "body": "In 2011, he pulled the trigger on Microsoft's largest acquisition at the time,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "651.449",
      "endTime": "656.692",
      "body": "the $8.5 billion purchase of Skype, the popular internet calling service."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "657.668",
      "endTime": "662.545",
      "body": "This move put Microsoft in competition with Apple's FaceTime and Google's voice services"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "662.545",
      "endTime": "668.297",
      "body": "and signaled Ballmer's recognition that communication was moving to mobile and internet platforms."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "669.211",
      "endTime": "676.284",
      "body": "Ironically though, just last month, in early 2025, the announcement came out that Skype would be shutting down."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "676.812",
      "endTime": "682.665",
      "body": "But back to 2007, Ballmer also made a high-profile and ultimately unsuccessful."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "681.954",
      "endTime": "689.204",
      "body": "attempt to acquire Yahoo for nearly $45 billion, aiming to boost Microsoft's position in search"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "689.204",
      "endTime": "696.013",
      "body": "and online advertising. Yahoo's board rejected the offer, and Microsoft walked away, a decision"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "696.013",
      "endTime": "701.141",
      "body": "that was controversial at the time, but later seen as lucky, given Yahoo's decline."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "702.282",
      "endTime": "706.628",
      "body": "Under Balmer, Microsoft had also started the Surface line of tablets,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "707.129",
      "endTime": "711.535",
      "body": "blending hardware and software like Apple, a strategy that had bumps early on,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "711.996",
      "endTime": "716.542",
      "body": "but set a precedence for the company's future devices. Clearly, he was willing to take"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "716.542",
      "endTime": "721.609",
      "body": "Microsoft in new directions, even if it meant stepping outside the company's comfort zones of"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "721.609",
      "endTime": "728.399",
      "body": "software. By the early 2010s, Microsoft was at a crossroads. The world was shifting towards"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "728.399",
      "endTime": "734.427",
      "body": "mobile and cloud, and some investors were restless. In August 2013, Steve..."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "734.427",
      "endTime": "738.259",
      "body": "Ballmer announced he would step down as CEO within 12 months."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "739.227",
      "endTime": "740.921",
      "body": "It marked the end of an era."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "741.486",
      "endTime": "744.612",
      "body": "Microsoft's last link to its founding duo was moving on."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "745.156",
      "endTime": "750.581",
      "body": "When Ballmer made the decision public, it was a shock to many, even internally, because"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "750.581",
      "endTime": "752.577",
      "body": "there was no obvious successor lined up."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "753.384",
      "endTime": "759.152",
      "body": "Some reports later suggested that Microsoft's board, and even Bill Gates, had pushed for"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "759.152",
      "endTime": "762.318",
      "body": "leadership change due to the company's strategic drift."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "763.165",
      "endTime": "768.368",
      "body": "Ballmer himself admitted, in hindsight, that he'd wished he'd moved faster on mobile"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "768.368",
      "endTime": "772.22",
      "body": "and new form factors, essentially acknowledging some missteps."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "772.926",
      "endTime": "777.483",
      "body": "Regardless of the exact triggers, Ballmer prepared to leave the company he'd worked at"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "777.483",
      "endTime": "779.258",
      "body": "for the last 34 years."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "780.065",
      "endTime": "786.901",
      "body": "He gave a rousing farewell speech in an arena in late 2013, filled with thousands of employees."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "786.901",
      "endTime": "795.72",
      "body": "This isn't about any one person. It's about this company. It's about a company that's"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "795.72",
      "endTime": "807.818",
      "body": "important, that's forward-thinking, that's innovative, that's ethical, that hires great"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "807.818",
      "endTime": "817.522",
      "body": "people and lets them lead great lives, that helps people around the world realize their"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "817.522",
      "endTime": "829.073",
      "body": "full potential. I want to end with this song. Respectful, a song that talks about what"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "829.073",
      "endTime": "839.375",
      "body": "you've meant to me and what you've done for me. You've made this the time of my life."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "839.375",
      "endTime": "844.442",
      "body": "It was classic Balmer, emotional, heartfelt, and a little unconventional."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "845.784",
      "endTime": "852.774",
      "body": "Balmer officially retired as CEO, handing the reins over to Satya Nadella, a longtime Microsoft"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "852.774",
      "endTime": "858.221",
      "body": "engineer and executive, who would take the company in a new cloud-focused direction."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "859.383",
      "endTime": "863.809",
      "body": "Like him or hate him, it's undeniable that Balmer loved Microsoft."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "865.411",
      "endTime": "869.437",
      "body": "So what do you do after running one of the world's biggest tech companies for over a"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "869.437",
      "endTime": "869.778",
      "body": "decade?"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "870.198",
      "endTime": "873.082",
      "body": "In Balmer's case, you buy a basketball team."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "873.663",
      "endTime": "879.271",
      "body": "Only months after leaving Microsoft, Balmer made headlines by purchasing the Los Angeles"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "879.271",
      "endTime": "883.236",
      "body": "Clippers NBA franchise for a reported $2 billion."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "884.078",
      "endTime": "889.625",
      "body": "The Clippers sale came after a scandal forced the previous owner out, and Balmer swooped in."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "890.246",
      "endTime": "891.849",
      "body": "At the time, it was..."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "891.849",
      "endTime": "894.392",
      "body": "the highest price ever paid for an NBA team."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "895.28",
      "endTime": "898.347",
      "body": "Many wondered if this was just the billionaire's trophy purchase,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "898.549",
      "endTime": "901.334",
      "body": "but Ballmer proved to be an actively engaged owner."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "903.474",
      "endTime": "904.866",
      "body": "Love you, dear."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "906.117",
      "endTime": "910.093",
      "body": "I have these notes, but I gotta say, I'm just fired up to be here today."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "910.497",
      "endTime": "912.959",
      "body": "It's pretty cool. Pretty damn cool."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "914.513",
      "endTime": "915.038",
      "body": "Woo!"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "916.733",
      "endTime": "918.287",
      "body": "That's not right for that, were you?"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "921.9",
      "endTime": "923.454",
      "body": "I'm just delighted."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "923.797",
      "endTime": "925.876",
      "body": "You know, I'm proud of what we did last year."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "926.158",
      "endTime": "931.749",
      "body": "We had a hell of a team, played the right way, hard, gritty, tough, resilient."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "932.072",
      "endTime": "933.565",
      "body": "That's what the Clippers are about."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "933.888",
      "endTime": "936.794",
      "body": "And it was a great season. Great season."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "936.996",
      "endTime": "939.115",
      "body": "48 wins. Great season."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "939.378",
      "endTime": "942.163",
      "body": "Not what we want, but a very great season."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "942.304",
      "endTime": "944.322",
      "body": "I'm so proud of the guys we have."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "944.971",
      "endTime": "955.17",
      "body": "Together with his wife Connie, he started the Balmer Group, which focuses on philanthropy to address economic mobility for children and families in the U.S."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "955.555",
      "endTime": "960.969",
      "body": "He's donated large sums to community programs, education initiatives, and more."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "961.678",
      "endTime": "967.457",
      "body": "One of Balmer's notable post-Microsoft undertakings is USAFacts.org,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "967.457",
      "endTime": "975.101",
      "body": "a non-profit project he launched in 2017 that compiles data on U.S. government spending and outcomes."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "975.507",
      "endTime": "985.766",
      "body": "The idea sprang from Balmer's desire to apply a data-driven, analytical approach to understand how government works and to make that information accessible to citizens."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "987.064",
      "endTime": "997.445",
      "body": "Steve Balmer's journey from a Detroit kid to Harvard math whiz, to Bill Gates' right-hand man, to CEO of Microsoft, and now to charitable billionaires."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "996.796",
      "endTime": "1002.664",
      "body": "and MBA owner, is anything but ordinary. It's a story of high energy and high stakes."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1003.666",
      "endTime": "1008.493",
      "body": "He had keen business intellect and an unwavering loyalty to the company he helped build."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1009.194",
      "endTime": "1013.94",
      "body": "He was the salesman who could talk the ear off any customer, the taskmaster who pushed"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1013.94",
      "endTime": "1019.989",
      "body": "Microsoft's teams to execute, and the ultimate company cheerleader who truly, as he said,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1020.63",
      "endTime": "1021.671",
      "body": "loved Microsoft."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1025.577",
      "endTime": "1030.283",
      "body": "In the shells written, researched, and recorded by me, I'm Windows Vista."
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1031.425",
      "endTime": "1035.851",
      "body": "If you are listening in an app that lets you rate shows, please take a minute to rate this"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1035.851",
      "endTime": "1039.376",
      "body": "one. I think it's important to rate this show because"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1039.376",
      "endTime": "1045.304",
      "body": "I love this company! Yes!"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1047.207",
      "endTime": "1049.27",
      "body": "And if you like the app that you're listening to,"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1049.27",
      "endTime": "1055.979",
      "body": "this episode on don't forget to thank the developers developers developers developers"
    },
    {
      "speaker": "Josh",
      "startTime": "1055.979",
      "endTime": "1067.572",
      "body": "developers developers developers yes that's it take care and i'll see you next time"
    }
  ]
}