14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft continues the search for a new CEO but, according to a new report, the committee in charge of finding a new leader has narrowed the shortlist to only five men.
According to Reuters, Microsoft is now discussing a potential takeover of the CEO seat with Ford CEO Alan Mulally, former Nokia boss Stephen Elop, Microsoft’s cloud man Satya Nadella, and former Skype president Tony Bates. The fifth name is yet to be disclosed.
The same publication is reporting that Microsoft estimates the talks with these candidates to take a few more months, which means that the company won’t get a new CEO before the end of the year.
On the other hand, insiders told Reuters that, while these five names were top candidates for the CEO seat, Microsoft’s committee was also talking with some other high-profile executives from within the IT industry.
This isn’t the first time when the aforementioned four names are tipped for the Microsoft CEO position, but it’s interesting to see that Alan Mulally remains the only candidate from outside the company.
On the other hand, Stephen Elop, the former Nokia CEO, is considered the best choice by many Microsoft executives, including Steve Ballmer himself.
Alan Mulally is said to be a turnaround man that could make any company profitable, but he still needs someone with more IT knowledge by his side, several analysts have explained. This means that Microsoft could actually split its administration in two sides that would work closer for the same objective.
Of course, Microsoft won’t comment on these rumors, but it’s pretty clear that we’re only a few months away from the appointment of a new CEO for the Redmond empire.