Steve Ballmer called Google Chrome a “rounding error” — 17 years later, Internet Explorer is dead, and Microsoft Edge can barely catch up
In 2009, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer dismissed Google’s Chrome browser as a “rounding error,” expressing confidence in Internet Explorer’s market position. Ballmer believed Firefox posed a greater competitive threat, while describing Safari as similarly insignificant. Google CEO Sundar Pichai later revealed that these dismissive comments were “demoralizing” to the Chrome team.
The passage of time has rendered Ballmer’s assessment remarkably inaccurate. As the article title notes, Internet Explorer is now completely dead, having been retired by Microsoft. Chrome, the very browser Ballmer called a “rounding error,” has grown to dominate the global browser market. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s replacement browser, Edge, struggles to achieve meaningful market traction—a stark reversal from the company’s former dominance.
This statement from 2009 serves as a cautionary tale about the difficulty of predicting technology market trajectories. Ballmer’s confidence reflected Microsoft’s existing market power at the time, but it underestimated Chrome’s potential advantages and Google’s resources to develop and promote the browser. The shift in browser market dynamics over 17 years illustrates how rapidly technological leadership can change and how even experienced industry leaders can misjudge emerging competitive threats.