5. Steve Ballmer Wants To Fly Solo
Ballmer and Gates are good friends, but Ballmer recently said they're also like brothers. And within the fraternal relationship is where fierce competitive fires often dwell.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, the two tech titans butted heads for a while after Gates handed over the CEO title to Ballmer. So it wouldn't be surprising if Ballmer might relish the idea of being alone in the wheelhouse for a while.
"Gates as a visionary did well, but I think Ballmer is going to take Microsoft to a new level," said George Brown, CEO of Database Solutions, a Cherry Hill, N.J.-based Microsoft partner.
