A Microsoft without Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer? Unimaginable. Unthinkable. But ultimately undeniable.
Although Ford's chief executive, Alan Mulally, downplayed stories that reported he's the leading candidate to replace Steve Ballmer as chief executive of Microsoft, the fact that at least one report named him as the top candidate may indicate that Microsoft's board is looking both outside the company, and for entirely fresh perspectives.
The plot thickened on Monday when Reuters reported that three of the top investors in Microsoft want company founder and current chairman Bill Gates to step down as well. The report says the three rebel shareholders hold more than 5 percent of the company's outstanding shares—that's slightly more than the 4.5 percent stake Gates still holds. Microsoft, naturally, hasn't commented. Gates, who once controlled 49 percent of the company, has steadily sold off millions of shares per year on a pre-set plan that will see him pull out of the company (financially at least) by 2018.
Gates shouldn't leave immediately. In fact, he's the key to ensuring a successful transition between Ballmer and the new chief executive. "Bill is involved in the search for a new CEO, and I believe he'll stay put to ensure that the company's direction is clear and on a solid footing as the new CEO takes over," Wes Miller, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, said in an email.
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