Meaning of Ballmer Peak | Babel Free

Definitions

A fictional level of drunkenness (originally stated to correspond with a BAC of 0.129–0.138%) said to confer one with superhuman programming ability.

Internet, humorous

Examples

“I think he's researching drug use and its relation with Ballmer's Peak.”

“If the programmers writing autonomous vehicle software are in the Ballmer peak, will they get charged with DWI?”

“At a talk he later gave on wu-wei at Google, Slingerland made much the same point about intoxication. During the Q&A, someone in the audience told him about the Ballmer Peak—the notion, named after the former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, that alcohol can affect programming ability. Drink a certain amount, and it gets better. Drink too much, and it goes to hell. Some programmers have been rumored to hook themselves up to alcohol-filled IV drips in hopes of hovering at the curve's apex for an extended time.”

CEFR level