Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was a very bright guy and capable CEO who also had a very bad habit of casually brushing off competitors who actually deserved to be taken very seriously. Recall his infamous dismissals of the iPhone and of Android, for example, to see how Ballmer ridiculing a product became a reverse-kiss-of-death — in other words, Ballmer trashing a rival offering was almost a guarantee that it would become a success.
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