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Steve Ballmer
CEO, Microsoft
Not long after I joined Microsoft in 1980, Bill Gates put me in charge of recruiting. The business was growing fast, but we were badly understaffed. I asked Bill to approve the hiring of about 50 people. He said no. I told him I thought we needed more great people in order to grow; he thought I was going to bankrupt the company. Bill was pretty conservative. He's since said that he always wanted to have enough money in the bank to pay a year's worth of payroll, even if we didn't have any revenue coming in.We didn't hire as fast as I wanted, but we did hire, and I did all the hiring myself for a long time. No one joined Microsoft without my interviewing them and liking them. I made every offer, decided how much to pay them, and closed the deals. I can't do that anymore, but I still invest a significant amount of time in ensuring that we're recruiting the best people. You may have a technology or a product that gives you an edge, but your people determine whether you develop the next winning technology or product. |
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