Bald, loud Ballmer to Microsoft: It’s not you, it’s me

Microsoft’s soon-to-be ex-CEO, Steve Ballmer, has admitted that the company would be able to move forward and innovate at a faster pace than what he could provide.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ballmer admits that his methods and ideas were from “an older era,” and that both he and Microsoft need to go their separate ways.

Ballmer stepped down from his position as CEO of the company on 23 August 2013, and told the press that his remaining year in office would be spent on finding, hiring, and handing the reigns over to a new CEO elected by the board.

“Maybe I’m an emblem of an old era, and I have to move on. As much as I love everything about what I’m doing, the best way for Microsoft to enter a new era is a new leader who will accelerate change.”

Ballmer goes on to reveal that part of what made Microsoft internally dysfunctional was the corporate culture he helped install into the company.

As the WSJ writes, “Microsoft’s culture included corporate silos where colleagues were often pitted against one another—a competitive milieu that spurred innovation during Microsoft’s heyday but now sometimes leaves groups focused on their own legacies and bottom lines rather than on the big technology picture and Microsoft as a whole.”

“No matter how fast I want to change, there will be some hesitation from all constituents—employees, directors, investors, partners, vendors, customers, you name it—to believe I’m serious about it, maybe even myself,” Ballmer added. “At the end of the day, we need to break a pattern. Face it: I’m a pattern. I’m big, I’m bald and I’m loud.”

As Ballmer prepares himself and Microsoft for his retirement, the board now seeks a new CEO. Three nominees on the table have been revealed to be Stephen Elop, former CEO of Nokia, Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company and Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s Enterprise software chief.