5/20/08

Video + AP: Hungarian student hurls eggs at Microsoft CEO Ballmer


Hungarian student hurls eggs at Microsoft CEO Ballmer

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer dodges eggs during speech to Hungarian students

SEATTLE (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer scrambled for cover from an egg-hurling protester during a talk at a Hungarian university Monday.

Unlike his boss, Chairman Bill Gates, who was hit in the face with a cream pie a decade ago, Ballmer managed to dodge the eggs.

Ballmer was delivering a speech entitled "You can change the world" to a group of business and technology students at Budapest's Corvinus University when the incident occurred, according to Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos.

A young man in glasses stood up, pointed at Ballmer and loudly demanded that Microsoft return money it had stolen from the Hungarian people. Then he calmly threw three eggs at Ballmer.

A video of the outburst in a large classroom was widely distributed over the Internet Tuesday. In the footage, Ballmer crouched on the floor behind a large podium as the third egg smashed against the white board behind him.

The man, wearing a white shirt that read "Microsoft corruption," was escorted out of the room at the behest of the dean of the university.

Gellos said Microsoft does not know who the heckler was. The video shows him leaving peacefully; the crowd even laughs at one point.

Ballmer, who initially looked shaken, appeared to recover quickly. He smiled, shrugged and drew laughter from the audience with a quip: "It was a friendly disruption."

Gellos declined to comment on what, if any, security measures were in place that day.

Ballmer was in Budapest to announce Microsoft's leading role and investment a technology skills training program in Hungary, in partnership with the government and other companies. Later in the day, he also accepted an honorary fellowship from the university, according to Gellos.

2 comments:

John D. Enright said...

EGGzactly what I was looking for tonight. EGGzcelant post, Rabbi. But what EGGzsactly do you mean by this EGGZstravigant report? I know that you're EGGZstremely down on Microsoft (who isn't?), but EGGZscuse me, you're EGGZordinarily late in reporting this, since ABC's television show "EGGZtra" reported it EGGZactly three hours ago! (Sorry about that last line; I simply EGGZagerated!) I guess I'm EGGZaberated by everything that happened to me today. Trust me, you don't want to know.

Anyway, I always appreciate your EGGZalent effort.

Unknown said...

The Hungarian Conspiracy!
My staff PI, Jack Stone, has given me an initial report on the Hungarian egging incident. He believes there is more here than meets the eye! Reasons:
1. The two men sitting beside the egger's composure throughout the incident leads one to conclude that they knew what was going to happen. The smirk and smile just prior to the egger standing to interrupt. One of them has a Macbook, this is the most suspicious activity of all, a dead give-away of malevolence!
2. The egger did not throw a third egg, he simply waved his "chicken wing" arm, yet another egg hit the wall directly above me. There was a 2nd egger at the back of the lecture hall!

The egger is in the "custody" of the Hungarian Security Ministry, they say, "he won't talk! He's like a zombie or something!"
Conclusion: he is an Apple Cultist!
The other conspirators are as yet unidentified, although we suspect the suspect 2 is an Apple Store Genius.

Jack is on the job! He always gets his nerd!
You boys may as well turn yourselves in right now.