Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has
officially announced plans to retire
within the next 12 months. The news
comes as a shock to many of us, as
Microsoft is just getting over the
honey moon stage of Windows 8,
about to release Windows 8.1, and
settling in as a “devices and services”
company.
In an internal email from Ballmer
published on Microsoft’s press page,
Ballmer writes that the timing of
leaving the company is never good,
but that now’s the right time to do it.
“My original thoughts on timing would
have had my retirement happen in
the middle of our transformation to a
devices and services company focused
on empowering customers in the
activities they value most,” Ballmer
said in the email.
Ballmer stressed that this is a “time of
important transformation.” We’re not
sure if he’s talking about just his
leaving the company and bringing in
new blood, or if he’s referring to the
ever-changing Windows 8 operating
system, and new “devices and
services” plan. In Microsoft’s official
press release , the term “devices and
services” is used three times in a few
short paragraphs.
We’ve sensed a change in Ballmer the
last few times we’ve seen him this
year. At Microsoft’s latest Build
developers’ conference, and at the
Windows 8 event last October, he was
missing his characteristic high Ballmer
energy . It’s possible that disappointing
sales of Windows 8, Windows RT, and
the Surface tablet could be
responsible for his departure.
A special committee, made up of
company founder Bill Gates and
chaired by John Thompson, will select
Ballmer’s successor. Gates
commented, saying that Microsoft is
“fortunate to have Steve in his role
until the new CEO assumes these
duties.”
Steve Ballmer has been at Microsoft
since it was a fledgling computer
company. In his departure email, he
noted that Microsoft has grown from
a $7.5 million company into a $78
billion leader, and its employees have
grown from about 30 people to
almost 100,000.
So, who will the new Microsoft CEO
be? Will it be someone internal, like
Julie Larson-Green, or someone from
outside of the company. Stay tuned as
the story develops.
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