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Steve Ballmer says everybody must get fired (well, 6.5% of everybody)

Posted Apr 28th 2006 4:50PM by Sarah Gilbert (RSS feed)
Filed under: Management, Microsoft (MSFT)

Why aren't you firing more people? asked Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer of British managers during the Institute of Director's conference yesterday, the London Times reports. After all, he himself makes a policy to dismiss 6.5% of his employees every year. And when in doubt? Fire twice as many.

It's not whether they're doing a good job, he says: it's all about whether you can find better people.

Critics are naturally saying that this strategy will create a "culture of fear." And, bizarrely, his comments came immediately after Cadbury Schweppes CEO Todd Stitzer was bemoaning a "serious image problem" in which businesses were seen as heartless capitalists. Not as heartless as U.S. business I suppose!

I just hope Ballmer doesn't apply this strategy to his marriage. "Sorry, Mrs. Balmer! It's not that you're a bad wife. It's just... the lady I met in tango class is so much better."

[Photo Microsoft]