I'm sorry, but I don't buy this. Steve Ballmer commenting on SwitchGate stating that he will "weed out" employees who do not live up to Microsoft's code of behaviour, and denying knowledge of the incident.

I'm not sure what he means by living up to Microsoft's code of behaviour. I'd have thought that this PR woman's actions were entirely consistent with the very letter of the code. I also don't believe that Ballmer was unaware of what was going on. Microsoft, when it comes to marketing, especially when combating Apple, are control freaks. There is very little chance that this fake campaign went ahead with authorisation from the top.