Chinese source claims that Turner might replace Ballmer as Microsoft CEO

Nov 14, 2013 09:47 GMT  ·  By

A new report claims that Kevin Turner, the current Chief Operating Officer of the Redmond-based technology giant, is very likely to be the next CEO of the company and will take over from Ballmer by the end of the year.

Citing undisclosed sources, Chinese website WPDang is reporting that Kevin Turner has big chances to become Microsoft CEO in the next couple of months, as the company’s committee in charge of finding a new leader sees him as the perfect choice for the vacant seat.

Basically, Kevin Turner has what it takes to be a CEO because he spent the last 8 years at Microsoft and is very familiar not only with the company’s business, but also with Steve Ballmer’s vision and his plans of embracing a devices and services approach.

The interesting thing is that the same report claims that Kevin Turner is not actually a long-term choice for the CEO role, as the committee is trying to find a temporary solution until they pick someone that’s more suitable for the role.

With Ford’s boss Alan Mulally denying reports claiming that he could switch to Microsoft to take over from Ballmer, former Nokia head Stephen Elop is the next obvious choice.

Elop would thus be appointed the next Microsoft CEO in two or three years, as he’s still seen as a much better leader that could continue the company’s path to long-term profitability.

A recent report published by Reuters and citing sources familiar with the matter indicated that Alan Mulally was in pole-position for the CEO position, but again, no confirmation has been offered.

Keep in mind that this is only a rumor, so we should all take it with a grain of salt until we hear something official from Microsoft. One thing is sure, though: there are five people in the race for the CEO seat: Alan Mulally, Stephen Elop, Kevin Turner, Satya Nadella, and Tony Bates.