Editing Steve Ballmer (section)

===Relationship with Bill Gates===
Ballmer was Gates' [[best man]] at his wedding to [[Melinda French]], and the two men described their relationship as a marriage. They were so close for years that another Microsoft executive described it as a [[mind meld]]. Combative debates—a part of Microsoft's corporate culture—that many observers believed were personal arguments occurred within the relationship; while Gates was glad in 2000 that Ballmer was willing to become CEO so he could focus on technology,{{r|leibovich20001231}} ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that there was tension surrounding the transition of authority. Things became so bitter that, on one occasion, Gates stormed out of a meeting after a shouting match in which Ballmer jumped to the defense of several colleagues, according to an individual present at the time. After the exchange, Ballmer seemed "remorseful", the person said. Once Gates leaves, "I'm not going to need him for anything. That's the principle", Ballmer said. "Use him, yes, need him, no".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121261241035146237?mod=googlenews_wsj&apl=y&r=125394|title=Gates-Ballmer Clash Shaped Microsoft's Coming Handover|author=Robert A. Guth|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=June 5, 2008|date=June 5, 2008|archive-date=February 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225085005/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121261241035146237?mod=googlenews_wsj&apl=y&r=125394|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2014, a few months after Ballmer left his post at Microsoft, a ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' profile stated that Ballmer and Gates no longer talk to each other due to animosity over Ballmer's resignation.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=McLean|first1=Bethany|title=The Empire Reboots|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/business/2014/11/satya-nadella-bill-gates-steve-ballmer-microsoft#|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=October 8, 2014}}</ref> In a November 2016 interview, Ballmer said he and Gates have "drifted apart" ever since, saying that they always had a "brotherly relationship" beforehand.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/why-steve-ballmer-and-bill-gates-have-drifted-apart-2016-11|title=Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates have 'drifted apart' since Ballmer left Microsoft|website=[[Business Insider]] |access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=October 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025000059/http://uk.businessinsider.com/why-steve-ballmer-and-bill-gates-have-drifted-apart-2016-11|url-status=live}}</ref> He said that his push into the hardware business, specifically [[smartphone]]s, which Gates did not support, contributed to their relationship breakdown.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-04/steve-ballmer-says-smartphones-broke-his-relationship-with-bill-gates|title=Steve Ballmer Says Smartphones Strained His Relationship With Bill Gates|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=November 4, 2016|via=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113003358/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-04/steve-ballmer-says-smartphones-broke-his-relationship-with-bill-gates|url-status=live}}</ref>