Ballmer, speech Sciences Po Paris

In this 5-minute speech, Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer, shows his abilities to turn a session on how to create a startup into a sales pitch. This was recorded on October 4, 2007, a few weeks after the EU ruled against Microsoft on anti-trust charges.

Every single key element of a sales pitch is present :
- warm welcome, goes so far as to speak a few words of French
- joke
- try to be your friend
- tell a story
- ensure the story is believable by making a reference to the "Bill Gates" brand, which is emotionally charged
- link it to individuals in the audience
- try to be your friend again (email address, facebook)