It seems that since he has left Microsoft, the shy and retiring former Vole Steve “there is a kind of hush” Ballmer has been taking some time out to consider the nature of reality.
Now when Buddha hit the same level in his meditations, he concluded that death and suffering was all an illusion, but Ballmer contemplated his navel, he concluded that the online retailer Amazon is not real.
Sharing his spiritual realisations on the Charlie Rose Show, Ballmer said that he didn’t know what to say about Amazon before explaining why he’s wary of the company.
He said that the company made no money and in his world, you’re not a real business until you make some money.
“I have a hard time with businesses that don’t make money at some point.”
Amazon came up short of analyst expectations and on Thursday posted a $437 million loss for the third quarter, or a loss of 95 cents a share. That followed a net loss of $126 million during the second quarter. Its stock has fallen eight percent today as a result.
Ballmer said it’s OK for a company not to make money for a few years, but he’s perplexed with Amazon, which had yet to post a profit in two decades.
“If you are worth $150 billion, eventually somebody thinks you’re going to make $15 billion pre tax,” Ballmer said. “They make about zero, and there’s a big gap between zero and 15.”
Ballmer said that every business is expected to have is the capability to make money, and it requires discipline and a certain kind of mindset.
“As a businessman, if you ask me what I’m proud of, I’m proud of the fact that I made $250 billion under my watch as CEO.”
So St Steve still has a problem working out that materiality is also an illusion.
