Originally published September 23 2005
Microsoft CEO tirade spotlighted in Google/Microsoft court battle
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to court documents from Microsoft's suit against search engine giant Google, former Microsoft employee Mark Lucovsky said when he announced his intention to leave Microsoft, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer lost his temper, vowed to "kill Google," shouted profanity and threw a chair across his office, hitting a table.
Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer vowed to "kill Google" in an obscenity-laced tirade during which he threw a chair across his office, hitting a table, according to court documents made public Friday.
The episode, detailed by Mark Lucovsky, a former Microsoft employee, came to light as part of a court battle between Microsoft and its rival Google, the Mountain View search engine.
In a statement Friday, Microsoft characterized Lucovsky's comments as a "gross exaggeration."
Microsoft has sued Google over the hiring of Kai-Fu Lee.
The giant software firm says the former Microsoft employee violated his employment contract by joining a competitor.
Google claims that Lee's duties are not related to those in his previous job and that the suit therefore is without merit.
The account, based on a meeting in 2004, casts the executive as holding a deep hatred for Google, which has so far foiled Microsoft's attempts to dominate the Internet search industry.
At one point, Ballmer said of Google's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, that he would "bury that guy -- I have done it before, and I will do it again," according to the filing.
In a statement, Steve Ballmer, said: "Mark Lucovsky's account of our conversation last November is a gross exaggeration of what actually took place.
Ballmer eventually regained his composure, according to the filing, and tried to persuade Lucovsky to stay.
Among other things during the meeting and in subsequent phone calls, Ballmer said: "Google is not a real company.
It's a house of cards," the filing said.
In a statement, Nicole Wong, a Google attorney, said: "Microsoft is trying to stop employees from coming to Google.
To bolster its argument, Microsoft said it had e-mails showing that Lee intended to violate his employment contract.
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