I think caring so much was part of his shortcoming as a leader of Microsoft. He loved the company so much, and values loyalty so much, that he permitted a bubble to form around Microsoft that insulated them from the world changing around them. By the time they woke up, it was too late; they had lost their dominant position in computing.<p>It was clear that he thought that part of his role as CEO was to be the chief cheerleader for Microsoft. Hence the high-energy appearances at the annual meeting, the scoffing at competitors, the bombastic interviews, etc.<p>What Microsoft probably needed more was a tough critic--someone who could impose upon the company a set of standards and demands that would keep them from becoming too complacent. That&#x27;s how Bill Gates saw himself. He kept a Mac in his office while they were working on Windows just so he could torment his dev team with the comparison.<p>Under Ballmer, Microsoft missed the rise of search, missed the rise of open source, missed the rise of social media, and missed the rise of mobile--despite having solid technology and marketshare early in each of those instances.