Microsoft was hoping to have a new CEO in place by November or December, say Shira Ovide and Joann Lubin at the Wall Street Journal.
The reason Microsoft doesn’t have a new CEO right now, according to Ovide and Lubin, is that the job isn’t all that appealing thanks to two big problems: One is called Bill Gates and the other is called Steve Ballmer.
„At least some external executives who discussed the CEO job with Microsoft directors have expressed concerns about being hamstrung if the two men continue to serve on the board, according to people familiar with their thinking,“ report Ovide and Lubin.
In particular, the Journal’s reporters go after Ballmer pretty hard: „Some candidates for the top post at Microsoft seem to be particularly uneasy about Mr. Ballmer, according to people familiar with their thinking. He has made several recent decisions that have altered the company’s strategy and generated controversy among managers and investors.“
Das mag zwar starker Tobak sein, ist aber letztlich harte Realität. Wer auch immer Nachfolger von Steve Ballmer (und im Hintergrund Bill Gates) werden will, muss sich das zweimal überlegen. Viele der potentiellen Kandidaten haben das offenbar.