[unregistereddev]

At my current (non-tech) company, someone in our C-suite has a very similarly controlled, low energy, slightly stilted vibe. If you get to know him, he's a ME with fantastic technical chops. He was pushed into a management role and simply isn't comfortable speaking in public. Of course he's had presentation training and speech coaching, but that just adds to the highly controlled, low energy vibe.

I'm told that when I give talks it sounds like a lecture from a college professor. That's ... probably a compliment, because I thought my public speaking skills were even worse than that.

Point is, I think part of the explanation is Satya coming from a technical background and still being uncomfortable and coming across as slightly forced as a result. Ballmer was a marketer first, an extroverted businessman, and quite comfortable on stage.