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Outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has always been a speaker and performer like no other — his absolute enthusiasm for his company is electric in person, turning ordinary corporate events into raw displays of emotion that are often criticized but never forgotten.
That energy was on full display earlier this week, as Ballmer led his last Microsoft employee meeting as CEO — he's announced his plan to step down within 12 months, and the search for a new chief executive is currently underway. And while earlier reports hinted at the intensity of Ballmer's feelings during his speech, The Verge has obtained exclusive video of Ballmer's final moments on stage. It is powerful and touching footage — one of the most influential men in the history of technology saying goodbye to the company he helped create. It is also vintage, perfect Steve Ballmer: intense, emotional, and set to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The tech industry will never again have anyone like him.