Microsoft CEO: I Don’t Like Not Being No. 1

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that in the end, his company may be the only one with a chance to rival Google in search over the long term, although he also acknowledged it will take “several more years and a whole lot of money,” according to CNET News.

“It’s a five-year task,” he said in the report. “It’s a long-term task.”

He said that Microsoft will have to figure out how to change the experience and the economics of search. “You have to redefine the category,” Ballmer said. “We’ve taken some steps in that direction… you don’t really brute force your way into any market,” he said. We wonder what Netscape, Stac Electronics, and Caldera must think of that comment. (I’m probably dating myself with that one.)

AllFacebook Marketing Conference returns to San Francisco on June 28-29! Join us and get a how-to guide for marketing to Facebook’s 800 million users. A full agenda will be announced soon. Keep an eye on our event site for more information. Special early pricing is available for only $249 until this Wednesday, February 15, so register today.