What makes Steve Ballmer so passionate about Microsoft?

No one wants to express opinions here? Do you feel equally passionate about the company you're working for?

Steve Ballmer is emotional because he cared about the growth of the company and did not see him as just an employee working for his paycheck but as someone who was personally responsible for the company's growth. You see some top tier guys switching companies constantly for a higher remuneration but he never ditched the company in what seemed as bad times (Xbox Licensing issues, Windows 8 etc). His departure was rather sudden and I think that perhaps he wanted to make more improvements before he left.
When it comes to Indians however, I think money comes first rather than love for the company. I see most guys working in IT companies who switch companies the minute they get the required experience and proficiency in their fields. Its sad to see such things happening but here is the thing, when we find something better, we tend to leave the latter.

@#-Link-Snipped-# - Nice observation. But Ballmer did know about his retirement time already. It wasn't a sudden exit for him for sure. There are really very few people who're really passionate about their jobs and the work they do. I think Steve Ballmer was one of them. You need a lot of courage to dance in front of a corporate gathering and sing song or chant 'Developer Developer Developer'.

Having been with Microsoft for so ~3 decades, I think it was obvious that he was emotional at the time of addressing the last company wide meet. I believe Microsoft's success in the ventures they forayed into in the last decade is majorly because of Steve's leadership and enthusiasm. Of course, he was instrumental in building up a culture that has helped the company thrive in turbulant times.

I'd kill for such an associate!

Microsoft is baby for him. He made that place happen. And now hes leaving. Emotions flood in.