Steve Ballmer Moved to Tears at Employee Meeting

　　Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, one of the world’s hardest-charging executives, was moved to tears Thursday as he led what is likely his last annual meeting with employees.
　　The yearly event–uncreatively named the “Microsoft Company Meeting”–offers up sneak previews of future Microsoft products, and serves as a pep rally for some of Microsoft’s roughly 100,000 employees.
　　This year’s gathering in a Seattle basketball arena also served as one of the first stops on the Steve Ballmer retirement tour, as he prepares to hand over the reins in coming months to just the third CEO in Microsoft’s history.
　　Ballmer, choking up near the close of the roughly seven-hour meeting, told more than 10,000 attendees about his love of Microsoft and pledged the company will keep innovating and “change the world,” according to people familiar with the meeting. He also alluded to Oracle CEO Larry Ellisonskipping a planned speech this week to catch his America’s Cup sailing team.
　　The CEO, wearing a blazing yellow shirt, exited the stage to the song “(I’ve Had) The Time Of my Life.”
　　Employees, some who arrived in company buses from Microsoft’s suburban headquarters, lined up early Thursday morning to file into KeyArena near Seattle’s downtown. The onslaught was severe enough that some local news outlets and transportation agencies issued traffic alerts and told people to avoid the area. Many more Microsoft employees watched on webcasts at home or in local offices around the world.
　　Prior Microsoft company meetings have featured celebrity emcees, such as “Saturday Night Live” star Seth Meyers from and comedian Amy Sedaris. Microsoft opted to go without a celebrity host this year. (Blitz, the mascot for the Seattle Seahawks football team, was in attendance, according to a photo posted on Blitz’s Twitter account.)
　　Ballmer’s tears weren’t the only moment of drama. Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer, showed what some attendees said was an emotional video of children talking about how proud they are of their parents who work at Microsoft. Terry Myerson, newly in charge of operating software for Windows computers, Xbox videogame consoles and Microsoft smartphones, was among the other executives to speak to attendees, as was Mark Penn, the executive responsible for Microsoft’s marketing.
　　Executives demonstrated a Halo videogame running over the Internet rather than downloaded on a videogame console. Myerson hinted at the possibility of a unified app store for Microsoft-powered phones, tablets, PCs and other gadgets–to replace scattered hubs for downloading apps for computing devices running Microsoft software. The demonstrations were more aspirations than features likely to be immediately available, attendees said.
　　Outside the meeting, some local businesses sought to take advantage of the Microsoft throngs. Buckley’s on Queen Anne, a pub located two blocks from KeyArena, opened its doors early to serve breakfast and Bloody Mary drinks after getting requests from a couple groups of Microsoft employees, said general manager Harrison Hegberg.
　　Asked whether Buckley’s had sold any Bloody Mary drinks well before the 10 a.m. start time for the company meeting, Hegberg said, “I saw a few go out.”