This Is What Steve Ballmer Thinks Of Microsoft's New CEO

AP

Since leaving Microsoft three months ago, Steve Ballmer has remained in the public eye, speaking on stage with the dean of Oxford University's School of Business, giving the commencement address at the University of Southern California (where his son just graduated), and granting the Wall Street Journal a fresh interview.

Ballmer told the WSJ's Shira Ovide that he's happy with the job that Nadella is doing so far:

" ... people always can get optimistic about change. I'm very proud of what I accomplished, but most importantly I'm very proud we have a replacement that the world is very optimistic about - certainly I am - in Satya [Nadella]. Optimism is a great thing. And I think we've made some very powerful announcements. The combination of those three things has people feeling bullish and optimistic, and that's a great thing."

Nadella has made a lot of sweeping changes and investors are happy. The stock is trading at a 14-year high.

Ballmer also said he doesn't care that Nadella is getting credit for products and changes that were actually Ballmer's idea, like Office for iPad.

When Ovide asked him what he thinks about that, he replied:

"I don't think that's an important topic, actually. It's certainly not important to me. Microsoft is still like a child to me. So the fact that people are loving it, that's all that really matters."

As to what he's been up to for the past three months: he's been playing a lot of golf, taking French, and in the fall will be co-teaching a class, though it wasn't clear where. (Stanford is on possibility.)

He wouldn't comment on the rumor that he's trying to buy the L.A. Clippers except to say that if he did, he wouldn't move them to Seattle. He's a retired guy now and can travel to L.A. (or anywhere else) whenever he wants.