logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
2h 59m

The Steve Ballmer Interview

Ben Gilbert And David Rosenthal
About this episode

We sit down with Steve Ballmer, the legendary former Microsoft CEO and owner of the LA Clippers, for an epic conversation covering his 34 years at Microsoft. Steve listened to our Microsoft episodes and had some thoughts to share — and boy, did he deliver. Steve takes us point-by-point through the original IBM DOS deal that started everything, how he built Microsoft's enterprise business from scratch, and offers his candid reflections on missing mobile and search. We also cover the story behind “developers, developers, developers”, the complexities of his relationship with Bill Gates (including a year where they didn't speak), and why he ultimately decided to step down as CEO. Plus, we learn why Steve has held onto his Microsoft stock through it all — giving him arguably the best investment track record in the world over the last 10 years with his net worth growing from $20B to $130B since leaving. And of course, we couldn't resist also talking about his other passion: the Clippers and Intuit Dome. Hit play and get ready to experience the patented Steve Ballmer energy and fun on full display!

Sponsors:

Many thanks to our fantastic Summer ‘25 Season partners:

Links:

More Acquired:

‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

Up next
Oct 6
Google: The AI Company
Google faces the greatest innovator's dilemma in history. They invented the Transformer — the breakthrough technology powering every modern AI system from ChatGPT to Claude (and, of course, Gemini). They employed nearly all the top AI talent: Ilya Sutskever, Geoff Hinton, Demis H ... Show More
4h 6m
Aug 26
Alphabet Inc.
In its first six years from 1998 to 2004, Google built one of the greatest products of all time (and certainly the greatest business of all time) with Search. Then in its next six years from 2005 to 2011, Google built seven (!) more billion+ user products: Gmail, Maps, Drive and ... Show More
4h 11m
Jul 16
The Jamie Dimon Interview
We sit down with Jamie Dimon for a live conversation at Radio City Music Hall, covering the incredible journey from his 1998 firing at Citgroup (where he was widely expected to become CEO) to building the most powerful bank in the world. Today JPMorgan Chase is a juggernaut — the ... Show More
1h 6m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2024
Bret Taylor - The Agent Era - [Invest Like the Best, EP.386]
My guest today is Bret Taylor. His resume is absurd. He built google maps--famously rewriting the whole thing in a weekend. He was the CTO of Facebook in critical years. He founded Quip. He was the chair of the board at Twitter. He was the co-CEO of Salesforce...the incredible li ... Show More
1h 27m
Oct 2024
Is the American Dream Still Alive? | Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer is a prominent American businessman and philanthropist, best known for his role as the CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. In today’s episode, Ballmer shares the circumstances of his upbringing in Detroit, Michigan, the early days of Microsoft, and his concerns abou ... Show More
53m 56s
Aug 14
#398 Steve Jobs In His Own Words (Make Something Wonderful)
A curated collection of Steve’s speeches, interviews, and correspondence, Make Something Wonderful offers a window into how one of the world’s most creative entrepreneurs approached his life and work. In these pages, Steve shares his perspective on his childhood, on launching and ... Show More
2h 1m
Sep 2024
Bringing Trust and Guardrails into Developing Enterprise AI Systems - with Steve Jones of Capgemini
Today’s guest is Steve Jones, Executive Vice President of Data Driven Business & GenAI at Capgemini. Together with Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello, Steve joins us on today’s program to examine the evolving landscape of AI development and the critical need for trust and ethica ... Show More
38m 26s
Aug 31
How we restructured Airtable’s entire org for AI | Howie Liu (co-founder and CEO)
Howie Liu is the co-founder and CEO of Airtable, the no-code platform valued at around $12 billion. After a viral tweet declared “Airtable is dead” based on incorrect data, Howie led a radical transformation: reorganizing the entire company around AI, becoming an “IC CEO” who cod ... Show More
1h 40m
Apr 2025
Microsoft for Startups: The benefits of the cyber startup ecosystem. [Special Edition]
Welcome to the Microsoft for Startups Spotlight, brought to you by N2K CyberWire and Microsoft. In this episode, we are shining a light on innovation, ambition, and the tech trailblazers building the future right from the startup trenches. This episode is part of our exclusive RS ... Show More
1h 15m
Dec 2024
Advice Line with Steve Case of AOL
AOL co-founder and former CEO Steve Case joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Steve reflects on the challenges and opportunities facing today’s nascent tech companies.First we meet Silvia in San Francisco, who’s wonderin ... Show More
45m 21s
Sep 24
#401 How Bill Gates Works
This episode is about Bill Gates' obsessive drive and hardcore work ethic. Bill Gates had the rarest entrepreneurial talent—the ability to see the leverage point in a new industry, seize it with relentless intensity, and *will* Microsoft into one of the most successful companies ... Show More
1h 8m
Jan 2025
932. Insights: How Zilch CEO Philip Belamant built a profitable fintech with over 4.5M customers
On this week's insights show, we're taking a deep dive into one of the most interesting fintech success stories in recent years - Zilch!Host Kate Moody is joined by Zilch Co-Founder and CEO Philip Belamant to discuss how the company went from raising its Series A funding during t ... Show More
49m 25s
Sep 2024
Superhuman 2.0: The AI edge, top productivity hacks, and the future of email | E2002
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… NetSuite. The number one cloud financial system that unifies accounting, financial management, inventory, and HR into a single platform. Giving you ONE source of truth. Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning today! Visit ht ... Show More
1h 14m