Can someone explain to me why is Ballmer still in charge, really? Please?
I don't think there are many investors who expect Microsoft to be the bleeding edge. It's a stable, boring money maker. It might stop making money at some point, but not suddenly.
> sufficiently tech-savvy bonobo
Sure you could. Even Apple and Jobs were lucky to beat you to the punch with the iPhone.
Because Microsoft designed Windows and Office once, they have no competitors and are still selling the original product. No upgrade cycles, licensing decisions, dealing with the DOJ, EU etc, no competitors like Oracle, SAP, IBM, Google, Apple and you name it. It's really easy.
Only a moron ignores Microsoft. They pay ~3+% a year in dividend, invest billions in R&D + new companies and still have some $60 Billion in cash. They are really struggling, as you can see http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=MSFT+Key+Statistics. The stock for large caps goes back and forth, and the stock price upside is more or less limited by the their huge market cap.
Ballmer has taken Microsoft from two cash cows...to roughly six in his time frame as CEO. Take a look at how many billion dollar businesses have come to fruition under his tenure. You might be surprised.
The guy gets a bad rap, but its annoying that people want to blame him for the things that are wrong with Microsoft but won't give him credit for the things he's done right.
I'd like to ask you though. What are the other 4 (5? 3? you said roughly) cash cows do you reckon, and in all seriousness are any of them even close in scale to Windows/Office? Honestly, I mean :)
Oh, and Bill Gates wants him there. And Ballmer is a major shareholder to boot.