Custom window treatments
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But when it comes to his famed
enter into their life, because they had
loyalty, Ballmer saves the heart of it
something greater and bigger they were
for his loved ones, not just Microsoft.
envisioning, that they could see was
"Not only is he smart, but he is
happening. "
very well-centered emotionally," said
"But they are regular guys, really,"
Pollack. "He realizes that success is
said Irving Dworkin. "Steve and Bill
important and he's worked hard and
are very close. When Gates got mar-
he's done off-the-scale well, but he
ried, Steve was his best man."
never forgets the family, friends, all
the things that add to a richer, more
Keeping Options Open
textured life. He's a very decent, real
In 1980, Ballmer made the decision,
human being."
ultimately fateful to both himself and
Said Hansen, "He's a very devoted
Microsoft; to drop out of graduate
family man in spite of his huge respon-
school and join Gates and Allen in
sibilities at Microsoft. He spends a lot of., Seattle.
time with his kids, reading stories and
Ballmer abandoned his first plan of
things like that. Sometimes, busy guys
being a math professor during his
don't have time for their families. That's
freshman year at Harvard, when he
not Steve. He's a very, very devoted fam-
found himself to be too restless for
ily man and just a terrific one."
academic life. By 1980 in business
When his mother got sick, Ballmer
school, he was on track to join the
took 12 weeks off from Microsoft to
upper echelons of corporate America.
care for her.
He didn't consider it pure luck that
"When my father was
he wound up instead
dying," Pollack recalled,
with the entrepreneur-
"Steve made sure that he
-6 ial computer company.
stopped by and said goodbye,
A-Ten years later, Ballmer
as busy as he was, flying all
was advising the grad-
over the place." In his memo-
uating Country Day
ry, Ballmer contributed a
g students not to be
memorial to Country Day.
r; timid to abandon their
In terms of personal quali
o master plans if better
ties, Hansen said Ballmer has
options came along.
been "remarkable in his loyalty
He said:
to the people who he's grown
"Try to keep your
up with and the school. He's a
view wide and keep
trustee of the school.
your visions open,
Obviously, he can't fly in for
because there will always
Ballmer as a 1973
every meeting. He's been very
be
some opportunity
Detroit Country
generous with the school."
that you are not really
Day graduate with
When Ballmer left Country a peifect 4.0 high
thinking about, that you
Day for Harvard in 1973, he
are not really seeing,
school grade average.
found himself living in the
that might actually be a
Currier House residence,
whole lot better for you
down the hall from Bill Gates.
or a whole lot m
_ ore interesting for you
Olga Dworkin describes the two
than what you are doing."
classmates as poker buddies and very
Gates and Allen had founded
competitive in math.
-
Microsoft in 1975, and five years later,
"Once Bill and Steve both arrived at
with 30 employees and $1 million in
the math exam," she said. "Steve got
annual sales, it was growing so fast that
done several minutes before Bill. When
the mathematical geniuses who created
the exam was over, Bill said to Steve,
it were adrift without a business rudder.
`How come you got out so early?' And
At that time, Ballmer was attending
Steve said, 'Well, I got done.' And Bill
his first year at Stanford Business
said, 'Well, my pencil broke and I had
School in Palo Alto, Calif, and feeling
to go sharpen it.' And Steve said, 'I had
"gung ho" for big business, as he told
two pencils with me.'
the Country Day graduates:
"I thought that was such a cute
"I had interviewed at Ford and I
insight on the mentality of these two
was talking to all of these investment
men," she said. "Both were so equally
banks and a friend of mine from col-
gifted."
lege, named Bill Gates, called and said,
She added, "You have to understand
`What are you doing this summer?'
and appreciate these two men, and
We're kicking around up here and
Paul Allen, as well. Their minds were
you're my only business friend. All the
so keyed into what they were doing
other guys I know are math guys. Do
that the ordinary things that you and I
you want to come on and we'll do
found very important to do did not
some business?'"

.44

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