Steve Ballmer’s career at Microsoft

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has shocked the technology industry by announcing he'll be retiring within a year.

Here is a timeline of his career, and the company he's worked for for the past 33 years:

1975
Microsoft founded by Paul Allen and Ballmer’s Harvard friend, Bill Gates.

1980
Ballmer is hired by Gates as Microsoft’s first business manager, taking between a 5% to 10% stake in the company at a $50,000 salary. Aided by Ballmer, Microsoft signs a pivotal deal with IBM to develop software for its new PCs.

1981
Microsoft incorporates; Ballmer owns 8% of the company, the biggest chunk after the two co-founders.

1986
Ballmer and Gates convince IBM to use the first version of Windows OS on their PCs.

1992
Ballmer rises to executive vice-president for sales and support, reporting directly to Gates.

1998
Becomes president, with day-to-day responsibility for running the company.

2000
Takes over from Bill Gates as CEO in a turbulent handover. Co-founder Allen resigns after a long-term illness, while Gates becomes chief software architect and chairman of the board.

2003
Sells half of his Microsoft shares, leaving him with only a 4% stake.

2006
Gates steps back from Microsoft, remaining chairman of the board and giving Ballmer greater autonomy.

2011
Ballmer announces a strategic partnership with Nokia to boost Windows Phone and, later in the year, Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype for $8.5 billion.

2012
Ballmer launches Windows 8 and the Surface line of tablets, which subsequently tank.

2013
Ballmer says he will retire in 2014.

This article originally appeared at pcpro.co.uk