Steve Ballmer, the software giant's chief executive, heralds the end to a period of rapid global expansion
Microsoft's decades-long growth spurt, which has transformed the software company from a two-man operation into a household name, is poised to end, Steve Ballmer, chief executive, has said.
Mr Ballmer, who three years ago took over from Bill Gates, founder, to become Microsoft's second chief executive, has said the Seattle-based company's had passed the peak of its expansion phase.
"The truth is that we've become a big company with an impressive number of employees and sales, and we can no longer post the same growth rate as before," Mr Ballmer told La Tribune, the French newspaper.
The comment comes as further evidence of the company's maturity from a "growth stock" business into a blue chip. The company this year paid its first dividend, and announced last month a doubling in its annual pay-out.
Microsoft, traditionally viewed largely as a lone operator, was also in talks over joint projects with other companies, including Nokia, which Mr Ballmer rated as a "significant" rival.
Microsoft has "accepted the idea of collaborating with other companies, notably competitors", he said.
Microsoft, founded by Mr Gates and Paul Allen, launched its first product, a simple computer language, in 1975, growing to boast revenues of more than $1 million three years later. The 1980s saw the launch of the operating systems and the first Windows products on which the company's global rise was based. Microsoft was floated in 1986 at a share price of $21.
However, the company's recent performance has been overshadowed by the bursting of the tech bubble and allegations of abuse of monopoly positions, which have prompted long-running disputes in America and Europe.
"I still have work to do to give Microsoft a more human image," Mr Ballmer told La Tribune.
Microsoft's decades-long growth spurt, which has transformed the software company from a two-man operation into a household name, is poised to end, Steve Ballmer, chief executive, has said.
Mr Ballmer, who three years ago took over from Bill Gates, founder, to become Microsoft's second chief executive, has said the Seattle-based company's had passed the peak of its expansion phase.
"The truth is that we've become a big company with an impressive number of employees and sales, and we can no longer post the same growth rate as before," Mr Ballmer told La Tribune, the French newspaper.
The comment comes as further evidence of the company's maturity from a "growth stock" business into a blue chip. The company this year paid its first dividend, and announced last month a doubling in its annual pay-out.
Microsoft, traditionally viewed largely as a lone operator, was also in talks over joint projects with other companies, including Nokia, which Mr Ballmer rated as a "significant" rival.
Microsoft has "accepted the idea of collaborating with other companies, notably competitors", he said.
Microsoft, founded by Mr Gates and Paul Allen, launched its first product, a simple computer language, in 1975, growing to boast revenues of more than $1 million three years later. The 1980s saw the launch of the operating systems and the first Windows products on which the company's global rise was based. Microsoft was floated in 1986 at a share price of $21.
However, the company's recent performance has been overshadowed by the bursting of the tech bubble and allegations of abuse of monopoly positions, which have prompted long-running disputes in America and Europe.
"I still have work to do to give Microsoft a more human image," Mr Ballmer told La Tribune.
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