What’s behind Steve Ballmer’s exit as Microsoft CEO? Where does this leave the company? Is there more to the story than we’re hearing? What will Ballmer do next? And who are the most likely candidates to succeed him as chief executive?
The GeekWire news team just emerged from the studio at KIRO Radio, where we explored all of those questions, and more, in a special segment for this week’s GeekWire radio show and podcast. See the video above for a sneak peek as John Cook and Todd Bishop discuss Ballmer’s decision to step down, and the implications for the company and the broader community.
“You look at the abruptness of the decision, and you have to suspect that there’s more going on there behind the scenes,” Todd says, pointing out that Ballmer has been able to hang on for so long in large part because he had the support of Bill Gates.
[Related: In the end, Ballmer’s biggest failing was his own optimism]
In terms of successors, John agrees with GeekWire readers who say that Ford CEO Alan Mulally is at least a possibility, although other potential candidates such as former Skype leader Tony Bates and former Microsoft executive Paul Maritz are more realistic. Other ideas outside the company include Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, the former Microsoft board member, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
[Related: Microsoft’s next CEO: Maritz, Sinofsky and more possible candidates to replace Ballmer]
Whoever gets the job, John is betting that the new CEO will come from outside the company.
“I think they’re moving into a new era,” he says. “They want fresh blood.”
That’s interesting because those experiments, bringing in top leaders from outside the company, have flopped at Microsoft in the past.
Listen to the full discussion above, and tune in for the show this weekend on GeekWire and KIRO Radio in Seattle.
More Coverage
