14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft keeps searching for the right man to replace Steve Ballmer, but according to a new report, the top candidates are afraid that the current CEO could significantly influence their work if he remained on board.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting, via unnamed sources, that “some candidates for the top post at Microsoft seem to be particularly uneasy about Mr. Ballmer” due to the recent decisions he made that altered the company’s strategy.
While this isn’t yet confirmed, the new report pretty much makes sense and goes in line with other speculation claiming that a number of Microsoft stakeholders want Bill Gates out of the company.
It’s believed that at least three investors are pressuring Gates to sell his Microsoft stake and retire completely in order to make sure that he won’t influence the work of the new CEO, who is set to continue the company’s transition to devices and services.
While Microsoft hasn’t yet confirmed whether both Gates and Ballmer would remain on board after a new CEO is found, the latter already confirmed that his intention is to remain within the company once he retired from the CEO seat.
Still, the report claims that neither Gates nor Ballmer has the power to oppose the appointment of a specific CEO, which means that it all comes down to the committee in charge of finding the new leader.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Ballmer and Gates would agree with a new CEO that would reverse some of their decisions, as several changes made by the outgoing CEO recently have caused controversy within the company and the board.
As far as the new CEO is concerned, people familiar with the matter claim that cloud boss Satya Nadella is in pole-position to take over the seat, while some believe that Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally has bigger chances to replace Ballmer at the helm of the company.