Microsoft, the world's No. 1 software maker, will suffer less in an economic slowdown than other businesses, said CEO Steve Ballmer.
"Our highs aren't as high when the market is booming and our lows are not as low," Ballmer said Monday. He made the comment after a speech at a Morgan Stanley Dean Witter conference. The talk was only open to invited guests of the brokerage firm. A transcript of Ballmer's comments was posted on Microsoft's Web site.
Microsoft last month cut its earnings and sales forecasts for the fiscal year that ends in June, saying the global economy wasn't performing as well as the company had expected. In an e-mail to employees the day of that announcement, Ballmer said he wanted to cut spending "very significantly" to cope with slower growth and increased competition.
On Monday, Ballmer said he believes the software maker, whose best-selling products are used on personal computers, is in better shape to weather an economic slowdown than other companies.
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