"I hired basically everybody": Steve Ballmer almost sold all his Microsoft stock, trying to emotionally detach from the tech giant

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivers a keynote address at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show at The Venetian January 9, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sometimes we can lose ourselves in our professions, especially if we really like our job. It can become a labor of love, not just a source of monetary benefits. In a recent episode of the "Acquired" podcast, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed that he had a difficult time emotionally detaching from the company he'd helped build from the ground up (via Business Insider).

Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 as the company's first business manager. Fast forward to the early millennium, and he took over from Bill Gates and became the company's CEO through 2014.