“Developers, developers, developers”
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave a presentation for Microsoft’s 25th anniversary in September 2000. His presentation was full of manic energy and he told the crowd that the success of Microsoft was because of its “developers, developers, developers, developers, developers.” The crowd cheered and enjoyed Ballmer’s speech. At a MIX 08 event on March 6, 2008, Ballmer changed the famous line slightly to “web developers, web developers, web developers.”
Ballmer’s “developers, developers, developers” line became a popular Internet meme.
Wikipedia: Steve Ballmer
Steven Anthony “Steve” Ballmer (born March 24, 1956) is an American businessman who was the CEO of Microsoft from January 2000 to February 2014, and is the current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. As of 2014, his personal wealth is estimated at $20.7 billion, ranking number 32 on the Forbes 400. It was announced on August 23, 2013, that he would step down as Microsoft’s CEO within 12 months. On February 4, 2014, Ballmer retired as CEO and was succeeded by Satya Nadella; Ballmer resigned from the Board of Directors on Aug 19, 2014 to prepare for teaching a new class and for the start of the NBA season.
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Persona
Ballmer is known for his energetic and exuberant persona, which is meant to motivate employees and partners. His flamboyant stage appearances at Microsoft events are widely circulated on the Internet as viral videos.
A widely circulated video, captured at a developers’ conference, features a perspiring Ballmer chanting the word “developers”. At the MIX 08 event on March 6, 2008, during a question and answer interview with Guy Kawasaki, one person from the public requested Ballmer to do a “web developers” chant, mirroring the “developers” chant he had done around eight years before. Ballmer screamed “I’ve been in PR mode the whole time, and you want to hear web developers, web developers, web developers!”, receiving a round of applause from the audience.
Know Your Meme
Steve Ballmer Monkey Dance
Part of a series on Microsoft.
Updated 2 years ago by Don.
Added 5 years ago by yatta.
About
Steve Ballmer Monkey Dance refers to video footage of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer jumping around enthusiastically during the opening of his presentation at Microsoft’s 25th Anniversary event in September 2000. Along with another conference footage of Ballmer repeatedly chanting the word “developers!” on stage, the video was uploaded onto YouTube in March 2006 and has since spawned a number of remixes and parodies mocking Ballmer’s over-the-top delivery.
Origin
On August 3rd, 2001, the newsletter NTK released a video of Ballmer jumping on stage and screaming at the audience at Microsoft’s 25th Anniversary event in September of 2000 (shown below, left). At an unknown date, another video featuring Ballmer was added to a download page on NTK titled “NTK’s CEO of The Dance Page”, which featured Ballmer chanting the word “developers” repeatedly at conference (shown below, right).
Google Groups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
Steve Ballmer video?
T. Max Devlin
8/24/01
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Absolutely. The real killer (I’ve heard no-one comment on this specifically) is the one where he is screaming “Developers developer developers developers” about fifty times.
Why would an OS with almost 100% market share need to try to ‘recruit’ developers? Isn’t it obvious what they meant was ‘lock developers into contracts restraining trade’?
Google Groups: comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy
Steve Ballmer video?
Erik Funkenbusch
8/26/01
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> Then why was he screaming “Developers developers developers developers
> developers developers developers developers developers…” as if they
> didn’t know who they were?
It was a rallying cry. He was telling the developers that they were what made the company what it is.
YouTube
Steve Ballmer - Developers
Ivan Pliouchtchai
Uploaded on Mar 31, 2006
Developers by Steve Ballmer
YouTube
Steve Ballmer screamed “Web Developer” on Mix08!
channy
Uploaded on Mar 6, 2008
Steve Ballmer shouted 3times of “Web Developer” after asking of one developer.
Pop Herald
Microsoft Corp in talks to acquire Minecraft creator Mojang for $2 Billion
September 10, 2014, 12:01 am Article by: Raphael Labuguen
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A deal like this is not actually new for the software giant Microsoft, a company that is still struggling to provide a vibrant mobile operating system. Developers tend to launch their products on Android and iOS only, leaving the Windows Phone with little to no support. Microsoft’s former CEO Steve Ballmer even coined the phrase “developers, developers, developers” — which is now a popular meme on the web.