When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he was planning to retire, he stated that his successor would be put in place before he left the company. Now the exec's proclamation looks to have come to fruition; it looks as though the next CEO of Microsoft could be named in the next few months.
As Gamespot reports, that the company plans to name the new CEO before the end of 2013, just as the Xbox One is launched during the holiday rush. Microsoft's board of directors is reportedly narrowing down the choices for the position, and a short list of candidates have gone through preliminary interviews to try and find the right person for the job.
Several names have emerged as possible candidates for Ballmer's job. One interesting choice in particular is Ford CEO Alan Mulally. Another choice being discussed is Paul Maritz, who used to work for the company. A possible candidate from within Microsoft is executive vice president Tony Bates. Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop is also being considered for the job, and he could join the company anyway when the buyout of his company officially closes. Finally, one name that has been attached to the position is eBay CEO John Donahoe, but he has since stated that he does not have any interest in taking the position with Microsoft.
The CEO position will be picked by a special panel put together by Microsoft. Among the people on this special committee includes John Thompson, who acts as the head of the independent director and Bill Gates, who is chairman of the board and founder of the company.
It will be interesting to see which person is selected for the job when the board makes it's final decision, and how it will affect the Xbox One during the first part of the console's life cycle. The Xbox One will launch on Nov. 22, one week after the PlayStation 4 from Sony. The console has had a rough start so far, its announcement featured several unpopular features, but since then Microsoft has trimmed these issues down and the Xbox One has become a strong contender. However, if Microsoft's leadership is in flux it could affect the console in negative ways.
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