Steve Ballmer's 5 Biggest Microsoft Blunders

By Eric Bleeker – Aug 24, 2013 at 4:23PM

NASDAQ: MSFT

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Microsoft has seen Apple and Google pass it during the past decade. What mistakes has led Microsoft to the third place position among global tech giants?

On Friday morning Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced that longtime CEO Steve Ballmer would be retiring from the company within the next 12 months. While Bill Gates will always be the company's iconic founder and former CEO, Ballmer has led the company across the past 13 years.

Ballmer's legacy is a mixed-bag. On one hand, profitability sharply increased during his time as CEO, yet the company has also seen its share of blunders across the past decade and is badly trailing both Apple and Google in both tablet and smartphone adoption.

To see a full run-down of some of Ballmer's biggest blunders, just click on the slideshow below. Also, if you're looking for more information on the battle between Microsoft, Apple, Google, and other major tech giants, we've created a free report called "Who Will Win the War Between the 5 Biggest Tech Stocks?"To grab a copy of this report, simply click here -- it's free!

Eric Bleeker, CFA has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Google. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Microsoft. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.