Microsoft's Big Dog?

Link: Do you need to be a programmer to run a software company? | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com. Yes and no. It depends. Stock answers for a lawyer. Both arguments in the link above ring true and neither does. It short, the reality is that this question is not so simple as to be answered in such a binary manner.

Remember, Gates was not only a programmer, he was by all accounts a brilliant businessman. Whose vision was it that the interoperability between apps in the MS Office Suite would be its defining element and one that eventually transformed the software industry? Was this Gates or Ballmer? I don't know, but if I had to guess I would bet on Bill.

Also, remember that Bill is not just being replaced by Steve Ballmer but rather by Steve and Ray Ozzie. Ray's abilities as a programmer are also legendary. As the lead developer of Lotus Notes he also helped transform the industry. Likewise, Ballmer probably knows a little about software. He has been privy to insider knowledge for over twenty years. He is smart. I suspect he learned a ton by osmosis.