Under the heading "Software and Snack Food," Ballmer acknowledged that Microsoft is the second place he has worked. "I marketed brownie mix and blueberry muffin mix for one of the largest consumer products companies," he wrote. "I have great admiration for successful consumer businesses, and I believe Microsoft can learn from them." He noted that consumer businesses spend a great deal of time learning about what their customers "want in cake mix, soft drinks, shampoo, and so on."

Technology companies have a much harder time getting in touch with their customers because of the complexity of the products and the rapid-fire change of the industry. "We must do a better job of connecting with customers," Ballmer conceded. "For a company such as Microsoft, with many millions of customers around the world, the connections must be very broad."

Joe Wilcox, "Ballmer on snacks and software," CNET News.com, 2 Oct 2002.

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