Sustained unemployment would eventually put a damper on the market's early gains

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says so far, the U.S. recovery has mostly helped the affluent. Photo: Jon Fortt.

So far the main beneficiaries in the nascent recovery have been well-off, says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. For things to really bounce back, things need to get better for everyone else.

I caught up with Ballmer at Microsoft's (MSFT) Redmond headquarters last week, and we covered a wide range of topics. His overall message: Microsoft has a lot of big launches across productivity, mobile and entertainment, and expects to do well. But he also offered his nuanced perspective on the U.S. economic picture. More