Technology

Steve Ballmer Has a Goodbye Mixtape

Soon-to-depart Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer held his final company meeting today, in what reports describe as a clearly emotional moment for the executive.

By Brian Feldman
This article is from the archive of our partner .

Soon-to-depart Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer held his final company meeting today, in what reports describe as a clearly emotional moment for the executive. And much like a college sophomore who knows that the right playlist is crucial to any event, Ballmer came prepared.

Ballmer is well-known for his on-stage enthusiasm (5.5 million views of him amping up the crowd to Gloria Estefan's "Get On Your Feet" can't be wrong).

After storming the stage to Macklemore's "Can't Hold Us," according to The Verge, Ballmer chose to end his tenure much in the same way that he started it three decades ago:

At one point during the meeting, Ballmer chose to play the song he used back at his first company meeting in 1983: Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". He then proceeded to jump and dance around the stage screaming at the top of his voice "the sound of Microsoft!" After the song ended, an emotional Ballmer paused to "enjoy this for a minute," with tears visibly streaming down his face. "You work for the greatest company in the world, soak it in."

Ballmer ended his speech with "I've Had The Time Of My Life" playing in the background, and screamed along with the song. He received a standing ovation from 13,000 employees in attendance.

Corporations may or may not be people, but Steve Ballmer is clearly people.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
Brian Feldman is a writer based in New York.