Ballmer shows humble side in memo
C|Net | at | by Mike
In a memo to the rank and file, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sounded contrite for the company's antitrust conduct while predicting a big future for the software maker and the industry at large. Ballmer's e-mail--seemingly calibrated to project humility following its favorable antitrust settlement--also was intended for public consumption. The company published the message to its Web site, and the remarks are substantially similar to comments Ballmer delivered in a speech to the Brookings Institution Tuesday. Both the speech and the shorter e-mail referred to the recently approved settlement between Microsoft and the U.S. Justice Department.
The settlement "puts new obligations and responsibilities on our company, and we fully embrace them," Ballmer wrote in the e-mail. He enumerated a handful of restrictions Microsoft now must follow, as well as steps the company has taken to ensure compliance.