Valleywag
Emails are flying out of Redmond with this speculation: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's botched $50 billion bid for Yahoo could mean the end of his career. While Microsoft's board reportedly gave the CEO considerable leeway in handling the deal, his dithering approach and his failure to sell the deal both to Yahoo's board and Microsoft's own executives don't reflect well on the sweaty screamer. The only problem: Microsoft has no obvious successor for Ballmer.
Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's Platform and Services Division, which includes Windows and MSN, is the most likely candidate. But like Ballmer, he has a sales background, and he, too, was involved in the failed Yahoo bid. Chief operating officer Kevin Turner is despised within the company, and despite previously being Wal-Mart's CIO, he's not seen as having the right kind of technology background. Ray Ozzie, a respected innovator, has yet to introduce any game-changing new products. Robbie Bach heads up the division that houses the Xbox, one of Microsoft's few hits outside Windows and Office — but he seems too disconnected from Microsoft's core businesses. The rest? A muddle of undistinguished Microsoft lifers and recently imported suits.
Comments
I don't think Ballmer will be asked to leave unless or until Bill loses faith in him.
He's a bit underqualified, but former Cisco exec Charles Giancarlo would be a decent choice.
There's nothing wrong with some outside blood, he has a decent track record (CSCO has far outperformed MSFT after 2001), and he's used to dealing with products for both corporate customers and consumers.
That said, his background is more in hardware than software (though as MS competes with Apple, sells the Xbox, and is working on an interactive coffee table and software in cars, hardware going to play a larger role in MS's future, and Giancarlo has experience developing "solutions," not just prodcuts), and while he was the heir apparent to a large tech company, Microsoft is about 50% larger.
What's that John Sculley guy doing? Gilbert Amelio's probably available.
Isn't Ed Zander available?
Honestly, I'd *love* to see TJ run Microsoft.
How about Chemical Ali? They haven't hanged him yet.
DRAFT Carly Fiorina!
Or how about Max Mosley? I have a scene in mind with foxy Microsoft Bob PMs...
@BartKela: Trader Joe? Yes!
>>Ray Ozzie, a respected innovator, has yet to introduce any game-changing new products.
Live Mesh.
That Ted guy from Gateway with the cowboy hat - but after President Bumblef*** I guess the cowboy thing is toxic waste now.
I'd throw my hat in for J Allard, VP or President of MS's entertainment division. XBOX and Zune (despite not selling well) are pretty impressive innovations. If Windows 7 is Vista 2, Microsoft might need to look elsewhere to generate that cash money.
I have it on good authority that William Shatner is next in line.
Hey...this entry seems an awful lot like a post on News.com from three days earlier: [www.news.com]
Dude, Ballmer stays. His stock price goes up Monday, he milks another billion in cash flow this month, YHOO tanks, and he is in the catbird seat with a ton of cash and premium equity to buy whoever he wants. Kudos to him for not overpaying in some testosterone laiden BS bid.
BTW, where the heck were the Wall Street Gurus Ms. Decker and Mr. Jorgenson during this whole thing? Looks like they kept their heads down because they knew that there was no way to win.
MSFT was brilliant again. That's why they are the most valuable technology company in the world. (worth approximately the entire value of GOOG + ORCL).
I would like Ray Ozzie alot as next CEO. Or perhaps myself? Where can I put my candidature? ^_^
ballmer going? should be yang, bostock, decker, jorgenson and the rest of the inept failures (yes, weiner, that means you) that have run yahoo into the ground. the company is a joke and exec management's disdain for their shareholders is appalling.
Sue Decker needs to be fired. Can anyone name someone with a worse track record? She's been a complete failure IMHO.
Scoble? :-) No seriously, they should just break the beast apart...
@greeterdan: True -- one I didn't see, and one which cites as a source a Business 2.0 story I helped with, on a topic I've followed up on over the years. Mary Jo Foley's a great reporter, but she's not the only one who's noted Microsoft's skimpy management bench.
How old are bill g's kids?
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