At some point in the next ten month, Steve Ballmer is going to be retiring from his position at Microsoft, and we already know that a replacement should be found by year end. Rumours have been flying around since Ballmer’s announcement about who might step into his shoes, and now a new name has been put forward.
According to WPDang, Microsoft’s board of directors may have already decided who with replace Ballmer. Rather than looking outside of the company, the report suggests that Microsoft is keeping things in the family, eschewing the likes of Stephen Elop and Alan Mulally.
The name now being bandied around is Kevin Turner, the current COO of Microsoft. Turner was only very recently put forward as an internal candidate for the position, and WPDang is suggesting that he will assume the position of CEO for two or three years before being replaced by Elop.
While WPDang is only able to cite unnamed sources, Turner would seem to be a safe bet. The COO is well equipped to take the helm of the company and it would give Elop plenty of time to find his feet. With rumors circulating that Elop would consider shutting down or selling the Bing and Xbox branches of the company, Turner would have to work at improving the profitability of these areas of the business.
What do you think? Turner for Microsoft CEO?
Further reading: Kevin Turner, Microsoft, Steve Ballmer
