Business Week Online:Ballmer's Microsoft

Ballmer has always been a tough boss. He's known for eviscerating business plans at annual reviews, sometimes humiliating execs in the process. One former top exec says he'd rather put his arm in a food processor than work for Ballmer again. "Steve is a pain in the ass to work for," the exec says. Ballmer says he's trying to improve. "A lot of people would like to see me balance a little bit more the fun side with the tough side," he says. "I think I've hit a better balance than I had in the past."