INSIDERS WHO COULD BE MICROSOFT CEO Microsoft Corp has a stable of senior executives who could be contenders to succeed Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, even though outsiders have sparked the most discussion so far. The following is a list of potential internal candidates, with pros and cons, based on conversations with analysts and insiders. All except Raikes and Thompson are executive vice-presidents Satya Nadella Tony Bates Terry Myerson Cloud and enterprise Corporate strategy Operating systems PROS A 21-year Microsoft vet- PROS Came to Microsoft two PROS A young entrepreneur eran, he knows the inner years ago as CEO of the whose web software firm was workings of the company, acquired Skype, which repre- bought by Microsoft in the late especially the hot areas of sents the new wave of inter- 1990s, he might bring a start- servers, data centres and net-centric, consumer- up mentality to the job. Rece- online services. Recently pro- focused technology Microsoft ntly picked by Ballmer to run moted to run the newly creat- has had difficulty replicating full range of operating systems ed 'cloud and enterprise' unit CONS May not have been at CONS His last assignment was CONS Although he was once Microsoft long enough to know running the Windows Phone a vice-president in the Office how to wrench it into a new unit, which won praise for its unit, he might struggle to shape, and his narrow special- software but has not come close impose authority over the ity in telecommunications may to making Microsoft a big player Windows and Office factions not be broad enough to run it in the smartphone market Qi Lu Julie Larson-Green Eric Rudder Search and internet Xbox gaming console & Surface tab Research and technology PROS The former Yahoo exec is PROS A 20-year veteran of PROS A fixture in the back- a heavyweight in the online Microsoft, she has intimate ground at Microsoft for two search and advertising area with knowledge of both the Office decades, he runs Microsoft’s 20 US patents and runs the and Windows units, having led long-term research unit and ‘applications and services’ gro- the redesign of both products sets overall technical strategy. up, which is in charge of putting CONS Is now in charge of the He is the nearest the company Microsoft's software businesses, ‘devices and studios’ unit, has to a big thinker in the like Office, onto the web leading Microsoft's foray into mould of Bill Gates CONS Under his stewardship, making its own hardware. CONS Never having been a the Bing search engine has The Surface tablet has had business unit leader, he may cost Microsoft billions of dollars poor sales and she was close- not have the experience to without threatening Google’s ly involved with the tepidly deal with the sharp-elbowed dominance received Windows 8 internal politics of Microsoft Kevin Turner Jeff Raikes John Thompson COO Philanthropy, ex-Office chief Search committee leader PROS Microsoft's Chief PROS Bill Gates picked this PROS The former IBM execu- Operating Officer for the last former Office unit leader to be tive went on to be CEO of eight years, the former the chief executive of his phil- computer security firm Walmart Stores Inc exec is the anthropic foundation. His long Symantec Corp, giving him power behind the company's experience, understanding of experience both of a large fearsome sales operation Gates’ thinking and steady company reinventing itself CONS A professional sales- hand might be valued and an understanding of the man and motivator, he does CONS Immersed in the world enterprise software market not come from an engineer- of philanthropy for the past five CONS He only joined ing background, which could years, he may be out of touch Microsoft’s board last year be a liability with the latest tech trends and has no direct experience of managing the company SOURCE: REUTERS.