A chief executive officer (CEO, American English), managing director (MD, British English) or chief executive, is the highest-ranking corporate officer (executive) or administrator in charge of total management of an organization. An individual appointed as a CEO of a corporation, company, organization, or agency typically reports to the board of directors.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of an organization's CEO are set by the organization's Board of Directors or other authority, depending on the organization's legal structure. They can be far reaching or quite limited and are typically enshrined in a formal delegation of authority.

Typically, the CEO has responsibilities as a communicator, decision maker, leader, and manager. The communicator role can involve the press and the rest of the outside world, as well as the organization's management and employees; the decision making role involves high-level decisions about policy and strategy. As a leader, the CEO advises the board of directors, motivates employees, and drives change within the organization. As a manager, the CEO presides over the organization's day-to-day, month-to-month, and year-to year operations.

International use

In some European Union countries, there are two separate boards, one executive board for the day-to-day business and one supervisory board for control purposes (elected by the shareholders). In these countries, the CEO presides over the executive board and the chairman presides over the supervisory board, and these two roles will always be held by different people. This ensures a distinction between management by the executive board and governance by the supervisory board. This allows for clear lines of authority. The aim is to prevent a conflict of interest and too much power being concentrated in the hands of one person. In the United States, the board of directors (elected by the shareholders) is often equivalent to the supervisory board, while the executive board may often be known as the executive committee (the division/subsidiary heads and C-level officers that report directly to the CEO).

In other parts of the world, such as Asia, it is possible to have two or three ''CEO''s in charge of one corporation. In the UK, many charities and government agencies are headed by a chief executive who is answerable to a board of trustees or board of directors. In the UK, similar to a sizable percentage of public companies in the US, the chairman of the board in public companies is more senior than the chief executive (who is usually known as the managing director).

The following presents an alphabetical list of some international common terms for the CEO position:

''Al-Rais Al-Tanithi'' (Chief Executive)

Australia: general manager (GM) (or also managing director (MD), but only when the executive officeholder is also a member of the board of directors)

''Shǒuxí zhíxíng guān/xíngzhèng zǒngcá'' (Chief Executive Officer) (administrating director) (Adm.Dir.) (general manager) (executive director) (executive director) (TJ) (chairman & chief executive) (P.D-G) (GmbH) or (AG) ''Genikos Aieuthuntic'' (general manager) ''Mankal/Menahel Klali'' (Director General)

India: CEO or managing director (MD)

(Presdir/Dirut) (POF) (delegated administrator) (AD) ''Saikō keiei-sha'' (Chief Menager) ''choegogyeong-yeongja'' (Chief Executive Officer) (chairman of the board) (general director) (izvrshen direktor - executive director) or also (generalen direktor - general director) (administrating director) (adm. dir.) ''Mudir Amal'' (Chief Executive) (general director) (PCA) (generalnyi direktor – general director) (CEO / MD) (executive director) (VD) (CEO / MD) (Holovnyi vykonavchyi dyrektor - Head executive director), also ''Генеральний директор'' (Heneral'nyi dyrektor – General director)}} ''Chif Igzikutu Afisr'' (Chief Executive Officer)

In the United States, and in business, the executive officers are usually the top officers of a corporation, the chief executive officer (CEO) being the best-known type. The definition varies; for instance, the California Corporate Disclosure Act defines "Executive Officers" as the five most highly-compensated officers not also sitting on the board of directors. In the case of a sole proprietorship, an executive officer is the sole proprietor. In the case of a partnership, an executive officer is a managing partner, senior partner, or administrative partner. In the case of a limited liability company, an executive officer is any member, manager, or officer.

Related positions

Typically, a CEO has several subordinate executives, each of whom has specific functional responsibilities.

Common associates include a chief business development officer (CBDO), chief financial officer (CFO), chief operating officer (COO), chief marketing officer (CMO), chief information officer (CIO), chief communications officer (CCO), chief legal officer (CLO), chief technical officer (CTO), chief risk officer (CRO), chief creative officer (CCO), chief compliance officer (CCO), chief audit executive (CAE), chief diversity officer (CDO), or chief human resources officer (CHRO).

In hospitals and healthcare organizations, this also often includes a chief medical officer (CMO), a chief nursing officer (CNO), and a chief medical informatics officer (CMIO).

In the United Kingdom the term 'director' is used instead of 'chief officer'. Associates include the audit executive, business development director, chief executive, compliance director, creative director, director of communications, diversity director, financial director, human resources director, information technology director, legal affairs director, managing director (MD), marketing director, operations director and technical director.

See also

CEO succession

Executive officer

List of CEO books

List of chief executive officers

O*NET

Oldest CEOs

United States Department of Labor

References

External links

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Top Executives: Description and Outlook

2008–2010 Study: CEOs Who Fired Most Workers Earned Highest Pay – video report by ''Democracy Now!''

Category:Business and financial operations occupations Category:Corporate governance Category:Management occupations

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name	Bipasha Basu
birth date	January 07, 1979
birth place	New Delhi, Delhi, India
yearsactive	2001–present
domesticpartner	Dino Morea (1996–2002) John Abraham (2002–2011)
occupation	Film actress, model
website	BipashaBasunet.com }}

Bipasha Basu (, Bengali: বিপাশা বসু ; born 7 January 1979) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi language films. She has also worked in Telugu, Bengali and Tamil language films. She is a former model who had a successful modeling career before venturing into films.

She Debuted in a negative role in ''Ajnabee'' (2001) which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her first blockbuster was ''Raaz'' (2002). She was then noticed for her bold role in the erotic thriller film, ''Jism'' (2003). She starred in top grossing films like 2005's biggest hit - ''No Entry'', ''Phir Hera Pheri'' (2006), ''Dhoom 2'' (2006) - her biggest commercial success till date and ''Race'' (2008). Her performances in ''Apharan'' (2005), ''Corporate'' (2006), ''Bachna Ae Haseeno'' (2008) and ''Lamhaa'' (2010) won her critical praise and multiple nominations for several awards. Known for her bold roles in Indian cinema, she has established herself as a leading actress and is frequented in the media as a "Sex Symbol".

She has been nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award and the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award twice each along with one nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Roles apart, she is also well appreciated for her item songs like "Phoonk De" in ''No Smoking'' (2007), and "Beedi" and "Namak Ishq Ka" in ''Omkara'' (2006). Basu is slated to make her international film debut with the 2012 Australian film ''Singularity''.

Early life and modeling career

Basu was born in New Delhi to a Bengali Hindu family. She is the second of three sisters, the elder one being Bidisha and the younger one, Bijayeta. She lived in Delhi till the age of eight in Pampoosh Enclave, Nehru Place and studied at Apeejay High School. Her family then moved to Kolkata where she studied science till 12^th standard at Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir. Basu, who describes herself as a tomboy, was pampered as a kid and was very naughty. She was fondly called 'Lady Don' in her school as everyone was scared of her and she was short and round.

Basu moved to the commerce stream after 10^th standard, studying at Bhawanipur Education Society College in preparation for the 12^th standard board exams (which she never attempted). At this time, she began doing ramp shows and modeling part-time. In 1996, she participated in the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest and won it.

Basu was flown to New York by the Ford Company and began her successful modelling career at the age of 17. She then appeared in the Caldia commercial along with her then-boyfriend Dino Morea which was controversial for picturising them sultrily. She was even jailed in Dubai for doing the ad but things cooled off soon.

Acting career

Debut and Breakthrough (2001–02)

One of the judges of the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest in which Basu participated, Vinod Khanna, wanted to launch her alongside his son Akshaye Khanna in ''Himalay Putra'', but she felt she was too young and declined the role which eventually went to Anjala Zaveri. After returning home, she was convinced by another judge, Jaya Bachchan, to play the role of a village belle opposite her son Abhishek Bachchan in J. P. Dutta’s ''Aakhari Mughal''. However the film was cancelled, and Dutta instead changed the script and made ''Refugee'' with Kareena Kapoor. Basu was also offered a role in ''Refugee'' opposite Sunil Shetty, which she declined.

In 2001, Basu finally made her debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Vijay Galani’s ''Ajnabee''. The film was inspired by the American film, ''Consenting Adults'' and was directed by the duo, Abbas-Mustan. ''Ajnabee'' was a moderate box-office success and attracted unfavorable reviews from critics. However, Basu’s performance in a negative role was appreciated by critics and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

In 2002, Basu starred in the year’s most successful thriller, ''Raaz''. The film, directed by Vikram Bhatt, not only established Basu in the Hindi film industry, but also revived the career of Bhatt, who went on to make similar films. Basu played the lead role of Sanjana Dhanraj, who is pursued by a spirit. She received positive reviews for her performance. One review in The Tribune noted, "...it is Bipasha Basu who steals the show with her fine performance." She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for ''Raaz''. She then appeared in supporting roles in Sanjay Gadhvi’s ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' and David Dhawan’s ''Chor Machaaye Shor'', both of which failed critically and commercially. She also appeared in a supporting role opposite Mahesh Babu and Lisa Ray in the Telugu film, ''Takkari Donga'' as a mischievous thief, Panasa. Her last release of 2002, ''Gunaah'', opposite Dino Morea, was also a failure, but her performance was appreciated.

Initial success and struggle phase (2003–05)

In 2003, Basu starred in Pooja Bhatt’s thriller, ''Jism'', which was well received by critics and fared well at the box office. She essayed the role of seductive, ambitious wife of a millionaire who indulges in an extra-marital affair with an alcoholic lawyer and plots to kill her husband. The film ranked 92 in the top 100 sexiest movie scenes poll conducted by Channel 4. Film critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama commented, "…the real show stealer is Bipasha Basu ; her sexy look and seductive deep voice, in contrast with her cold and calculating personality, makes her the most impressive femme fatale since Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi." She received a Filmfare Best Villain Award nomination for ''Jism''. Her next release, ''Zameen'', failed to make impact among audience.

Basu had four releases in 2004, all of which performed moderately and drew mixed reviews. She collaborated for the second time with Vikram Bhatt in her first release ''Aetbaar''. She played the role of a young girl who falls in love with a psychopath. Rediff.com noted that "…The characters are not convincing, the plot is not fast-paced or interesting." Her next film was Mani Shankar’s ''Rudraksh'' which was based on the Indian epic, ''Ramayana''. The film was a disaster at the box-office and was panned by the critics. She then starred in ''Rakht'' as a tarot card reader trying to solve a murder mystery. Critic Shruti Bhasin of ''Planetbollywood'' wrote, "Bipasha Basu impresses in a different look and role." Her final release that year was Anil Sharma’s ''Madhoshi'' which saw her playing a mentally unstable girl.

In 2005, she appeared in the love triangle, ''Barsaat''. Taran Adarsh commented, "…As an actor, she [Bipasha Basu] does show sparks only towards the end." She also starred in the Tamil film, ''Sachein'' which was a hit and then in Prakash Jha’s ''Apaharan'', which won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay. In this period, she refused to act in art-films due to salary problems. Besides acting, Basu did the video "Tu" for Sonu Nigam's album, ''Kismat''. She made a guest appearance in Jay Sean's music video ''Stolen''.

Success (2005–present)

After a slow start, Basu established herself as a successful actress with the success of ''No Entry'', ''Corporate'' and ''Dhoom 2''. ''No Entry'' grossed 71 crore at the box-office and was the highest grossing film of 2005. Basu essayed the role of a bargirl who acts as wife of two men. She earned Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for the film. 2006 was a successful year for Basu. Her three major releases, ''Corporate'', ''Omkara'' and ''Dhoom 2'', performed well critically and commercially. In Madhur Bhandarkar’s ''Corporate'', Basu gave up her glamorous look for the role of a businesswoman who has no qualms in taking advantage of her sexuality to con the CEO of a rival company. She won accolades from critics for her performance. Critic Aparna wrote, "[...] she has done a fabulous job as an ambitious woman. The kind of shrewdness in a woman that she essays has never been seen before in India films." She was nominated for the second time for Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Othello, ''Omkara'', Basu essayed the role of Bianca. She caught the attention of public with her dance number, ''Beedi'', which was highly popular in India and overseas. Critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote, "…Bipasha Basu is brought in to lend oomph and she succeeds in doing just that." Basu became the talk of the town for donning a bikini in Aditya Chopra’s ''Dhoom 2''. She reportedly ate only oranges for three days and trained hard to shoot the scene. Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India commented, "Aah Bipasha! Looks great, brings back the bikini to Bollywood, and gently slips into the shadows as a pretty accessory."

In 2007, Ronnie Screwvala’s ''Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal'' performed below average at the box-office. The song picturised on John Abraham and Basu, "Billo Rani", became quite popular and earned her the nickname "Billo Rani", though equal credit must be given to ''Omkara'' in which her name was Billo Chanambahar. In 2008, she teamed up once again with Abbas-Mustan for ''Race''. She played the role of Sonia who is stuck in a love-triangle between two brothers (played by Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna) and through the course, she murders one of them. The film grossed 68 crores at the box office and was the fourth-biggest hit that year in India and performed good enough overseas as well. Her performance was appreciated by critics with Taran Adarsh citing it as "her best work so far. She’s superb". Basu’s work in Siddharth Anand’s ''Bachna Ae Haseeno'' as a successful supermodel who finds it hard to forgive her ex-lover for betraying her earned her a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She completed 2008 by appearing in ''Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'' parodying the yesteryear actress, Nutan.

Her first release in 2009, ''Aa Dekhen Zara'' failed to do well at the box-office. Rohit Shetty’s ''All The Best: Fun Begins'' performed well and her comic role was appreciated by fans. Later that year, Basu surprised everybody with Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film, ''Shob Charitro Kalponik''. "I love saris and I'm wearing a lot of them in Ritu's film," she said. She gave up her glamorous look and was praised by critics for her performance. Critic Subhash K Jha spoke high of her. He said, "…Bipasha [Basu] pulls out all stops to deliver her career’s best performance. Her moments of anguish before and after her screen-husband’s death are expressed in tones of cathartic conviction that we never knew existed within Bipasha." He also compared her with the multiple award winning actress, Shabana Azmi, commenting that Basu’s anguished portrayal of bereavement can be equaled by Azmi only.

}}

With the 2010 film Pankh, Basu returned with her alluring image as an imaginary character who exists in the protagonist’s mind. She was then featured as a Kashmiri girl in Rahul Dholakia’s ''Lamhaa'' which explored socio-political problems in Kashmir. Principal photography of Lamhaa was disrupted many times by the locals in Kashmir due to the controversial theme. During the shooting of ''Lamhaa'', she left the sets at Anantnag and headed back to Mumbai citing she was afraid of the crowd there. Producer Bunty Walia thought of replacing her with Vidya Balan but she returned for the shoot later with necessary security arrangements. NDTV Movies wrote, "Bipasha sinks herself into her character imparting a dramatic resonance into the role without resorting to stock expressions. The sequence where she gets mauled by militant women is as traumatic to watch as it must have been for Bipasha to shoot." Basu then played the role of a ruthless cop’s wife in Priyadarshan’s ''Aakrosh'' who helps the police with investigation on honor killings in their village. She met with mixed reviews for the film. Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India commented, "Bipasha actually doesn't have much to do and does seem to be miscast as the much-abused, bruised and battered wife of Paresh Rawal." Apart from films, she also released a fitness DVD called Love Yourself which emphasized on being strong, healthy, and loving one’s self. She was also the brand ambassador of Sugar Free which helped her promoting the DVD. Hiren Gada, director of Shemaroo Entertainment said ,"A celebrity like Bipasha Basu, genuinely believes in staying healthy. She is also passionate about fitness."

Her only release in 2011 was ''Dum Maaro Dum'' which performed reasonably well at the box-office and met with good reviews from critics. Talking of the film, she said, "My next release is DMD [''Dum Maaro Dum''], in which I play a lively, colourful, happy-go-lucky girl called Zoey, who is the representation of Goa as we see it." Basu collaborated with Abbas-Mustan for the third time in ''Players'' which became the first release of 2012. The film was an official remake of ''The Italian Job''. ''Players'' was heavily compared to ''The Italian Job'' and was criticized for its execution and performances, including that of Basu. She made her English language debut with Roland Joffé’s epic drama ''Singularity'' which will be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012. She plays the role of a Maratha warrior Taluja Naik in the film. Basu is also signed by Vikram Bhatt for the third time for ''Raaz 3D'', the third film in the ''Raaz'' series. Principal photography of the film shall begin in Januray, 2012. She will also be seen in a guest appearance reprising her role of ''Race'' in the upcoming film by Abbas-Mustan, ''Race 2''.

Personal life

Basu was in a relationship with her ''Raaz'' co-star Dino Morea since 1996 but they broke up in 2002. Soon afterwards, during the filming of ''Jism'', Basu began to date her co-star John Abraham, and they were in a relationship till early 2011 when the couple officially broke off. While together, the two were often referred to as a supercouple in the Indian media. Basu has been in the limelight since her bold role in ''Jism''. Her relationships with various co-stars have been often covered by the media. She is known to be freely expressing herself in the public and jovial with her co-stars. She has been described by the media as sultry, dusky Bengali beauty. She ranked 8 in Times 50 most desirable Women in 2011. In 2005 and 2007, UK magazine ''Eastern Eye'' named her the "Sexiest Woman in Asia".

Filmography

''Takkari Donga'' ''Raaz (2002 film) ''Aankhen (2002 film) ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' ''Chor Machaaye Shor'' ''Gunaah (2002 film) ''Jism (film) ''Footpath (2003 film) ''Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula'' ''Zameen (film) ''Ishq Hai Tumse'' ''Aetbaar'' ''Rudraksh (film) ''Rakht: What If You Can See the Future'' ''Madhoshi'' ''Chehraa'' ''Sachein'' ''Viruddh... Family Comes First'' ''Barsaat (2005 film) ''No Entry'' ''Apaharan'' ''Shikhar (film) ''Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye'' ''Darna Zaroori Hai'' ''Phir Hera Pheri'' ''Alag'' ''Corporate (film) ''Omkara (film) ''Jaane Hoga Kya'' ''Dhoom 2'' ''Nehlle Pe Dehlla'' ''No Smoking (2007 film) ''Om Shanti Om'' ''Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal'' ''Race (2008 film) ''Bachna Ae Haseeno'' ''Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'' ''Aa Dekhen Zara'' ''All The Best: Fun Begins'' ''Shob Charitro Kalponik'' ''Pankh (film) ''Lamhaa'' ''Aakrosh (2010 film) ''Dum Maro Dum (film) ''Players (2011 film) ''Jodi Breakers'' ''Singularity (film) ''Raaz 3D'' ''Race 2'' ''Ghayal Returns''

Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
2001	Ajnabee (2001 film)>Ajnabee''	Sonia/Neeta
2002	|	Panasa	Telugu language>Telugu film
2002	Raaz'' ||	Sanjana Dhanraj	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2002	Aankhen'' ||	Raina
2002	|	Ria
2002	|	Ranjita
2002	Gunaah'' ||	Prabha Narayan
2003	Jism'' ||	Sonia Khanna	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role
2003	Footpath'' ||	Sanjana Rai Shingla Khan
2003	|		Special appearance
2003	Zameen'' ||	Nandini
2004	|	Kushboo
2004	|	Ria Malhotra
2004	Rudraksh'' ||	Gayetri
2004	|	Drishti
2004	|	Anupama Kaul
2005	|	Megha
2005	|	Manju	Tamil language>Tamil film
2005	|		Special appearance
2005	Barsaat'' ||	Anna
2005	|	Bobby	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005	|	Megha
2005	Shikhar'' ||	Natasha
2006	|	Sonia Berry
2006	|	Varsha
2006	|	Anuradha
2006	|		Special appearance in song "Sabse Alag"
2006	Corporate'' ||	Nishigandha Dasgupta	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2006	Omkara'' ||	Billo Chamanbahar
2006	|	Aditi
2006	|	ACP Shonali Bose/ Monali Bose
2007	|	Pooja
2007	No Smoking'' ||		Special appearance in song "Phoonk De"
2007	|	Herself	Special appearance
2007	|	Rumana
2008	Race'' ||	Sonia
2008	|	Radhika/Shreya Rathod	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2008	|		Special appearance in song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte"
2009	|	Simi Chatterjee
2009	|	Jhanvi Chopra
2009	|	Radhika	Bengali language>Bengali film
2010	Pankh'' ||	Nandini (Alter-ego)
2010	|	Aziza
2010	Aakrosh'' ||	Geeta
2011	Dum Maro Dum'' ||	Zoey
2012	Players'' ||	Riya
2012	|	Sonali	Releasing on February 24, 2012
2012	Singularity'' ||	Tulaja Naik	English language>English film (Releasing in May 2012)
2012	|	Shanaya	Filming (Releasing on August 31, 2012)
2012	|	Sonia	Guest appearance (Releasing on November 30, 2012)
2012	|		Pre-production (Shooting stats in February, 2012)

See also

List of Indian film actresses

References

External links

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:Indian film actors Category:Bengali people Category:Bengali actors Basu,Bipasha Category:Indian female models Category:Apeejay School alumni Category:Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan schools alumni Category:Bhawanipur Education Society College alumni Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian Hindus Category:People from Kolkata Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:People from Mumbai

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name	Steve Ballmer
birth date	March 24, 1956
birth place	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
occupation	CEO, Microsoft
alma mater	Harvard University, Stanford Business School
networth	US$14.5 billion (2011)
salary	$ 1,351,121
website	Staff Bio at microsoft.com
residence	United States
awards	Légion d'honneur }}

Steven Anthony "Steve" Ballmer (born March 24, 1956) is the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation, having held that post since January 2000. , his personal wealth is estimated at US$14.5 billion, ranking number 46 on the Forbes list of billionaires.

Early life

Ballmer was born in Detroit, Michigan to a Swiss-American father and a Jewish American mother. He grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In 1973, he graduated from Detroit Country Day School, a private college preparatory school in Beverly Hills, Michigan, and now sits on its board of directors. In 1977, he graduated ''magna cum laude'' from Harvard University with a B.A. in mathematics and economics.

At college, Ballmer managed the football team, worked on ''The Harvard Crimson'' newspaper as well as the ''Harvard Advocate'', and lived down the hall from fellow sophomore Bill Gates. He then worked for two years as an assistant product manager at Procter & Gamble, where he shared an office with Jeffrey R. Immelt, who later became CEO of General Electric. In 1980, he dropped out of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business to join Microsoft.

Microsoft

Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft on June 11, 1980, and became Microsoft's 30th employee, the first business manager hired by Gates.

He was initially offered a salary of $50,000 as well as a percentage of ownership of the company. When Microsoft was incorporated in 1981, Ballmer owned 8 percent of the company. During the subsequent 20 years, Ballmer headed several Microsoft divisions, including operations, operating systems development, and sales and support. In January 2000, he was officially named Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Ballmer handled company finances, however Gates still retained control of the "technological vision". He served as President of Microsoft from July 1998 to February 2001, having previously served as Executive Vice President, Sales and Support since February 1992. Ballmer led Microsoft's development of the .NET Framework.

In 2003, Ballmer sold 8.3% of his shareholdings, leaving him with a 4% stake in the company. The same year, Ballmer replaced Microsoft's employee stock options program.

In 2009, and for the first time ever since Bill Gates left Microsoft as full-time chairman, he made the opening keynote at CES.

Ballmer has also served as Director of Accenture Ltd. as well as a General Partner of Accenture SCA since October 2001.

Professional conduct

Ballmer is known for his energetic and exuberant persona, which is meant to motivate employees and partners. His flamboyant stage appearances at Microsoft events are widely circulated on the Internet as viral videos. One widely circulated video, captured at a developers' conference, features a perspiring Ballmer chanting the word "developers".

Bill Gates steps down

The ''Wall Street Journal'' has reported that there was tension surrounding the 2000 transition of authority from Bill Gates to Ballmer. Things became so bitter that, on one occasion, Gates stormed out of a meeting in a huff after a shouting match in which Ballmer jumped to the defense of several colleagues, according to an individual present at the time. After the exchange, Ballmer seemed "remorseful", the person said. Once Gates leaves, "I'm not going to need him for anything. That's the principle," Ballmer said. "Use him, yes, need him, no."

On competing companies and software

Apple

Speaking at a conference in NYC in 2009, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer criticized Apple's pricing, saying; 'Now I think the tide has turned back the other direction (against Apple),' Ballmer said. 'The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment — same piece of hardware — paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be.'

Free and open source software

He has referred to the free software Linux kernel as a "cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches." Ballmer used the notion of "viral" licensing terms to express his concern over the fact that the GNU General Public License (GPL) employed by such software requires that all derivative software be under the GPL or a compatible license.

Google

In 2005, Mark Lucovsky alleged in a sworn statement to a Washington state court that Ballmer became enraged upon hearing that Lucovsky was about to leave Microsoft for Google, picked up his chair, and threw it across his office. Referring to Google CEO Eric Schmidt (who previously worked for competitors Sun and Novell), Ballmer vowed to "kill Google" in an expletive-laden tirade then resumed trying to persuade Lucovsky to stay at Microsoft. Ballmer has described characterizations of the incident as a ''"gross exaggeration of what actually took place"''.

Sports

On March 6, 2008, Seattle's Mayor announced that a local ownership group involving Ballmer made a "game changing" commitment to invest $150 million in cash toward a $300 million renovation of Key Arena and were ready to purchase the Seattle SuperSonics in order to keep them in the City of Seattle. However, this initiative failed, and the Sonics have since relocated to Oklahoma City, now performing as Oklahoma City Thunder.

Media portrayals

''Bad Boy Ballmer: The Man Who Rules Microsoft'' (2002), Fredric Alan Maxwell, ISBN 0-06-621014-3 (unauthorized biography)

The 1999 docudrama ''Pirates of Silicon Valley'' features Ballmer as a major character; he is played by actor John DiMaggio.

Wealth

Ballmer was the second person after Roberto Goizueta to become a billionaire in U.S. dollars based on stock options received as an employee of a corporation in which he was neither a founder nor a relative of a founder. Ballmer is the 46th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with an estimated wealth of $14.5 billion. While CEO of Microsoft in 2009, Ballmer earned a total compensation of $1,276,627 which included a base salary of $665,833 a cash bonus of $600,000, no stock or options, and other compensation of $10,794.

References

External links

Corporate biography

Forbes World's Richest People listing

South China Morning Post audio interview

Steve Ballmer Playlist Appearance on WMBR's ''Dinnertime Sampler'' radio show February 23, 2005

Forbes.com's Billionaire List

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:American chief executives Category:American people of Swiss descent Category:Microsoft employees Category:American billionaires Category:American Internet personalities Category:The Harvard Crimson people Category:People from Farmington Hills, Michigan Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur

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