Press Release: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.



Press Release:

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within 12 months

Aug. 23, 2013

Board of directors initiates succession process; Ballmer remains CEO until successor is named.

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 23, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer has decided to retire as CEO within the next 12 months, upon the completion of a process to choose his successor. In the meantime, Ballmer will continue as CEO and will lead Microsoft through the next steps of its transformation to a devices and services company that empowers people for the activities they value most. 

“There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time,” Ballmer said. “We have embarked on a new strategy with a new organization and we have an amazing Senior Leadership Team. My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our company’s transformation to a devices and services company. We need a CEO who will be here longer term for this new direction.”

The Board of Directors has appointed a special committee to direct the process. This committee is chaired by John Thompson, the board’s lead independent director, and includes Chairman of the Board Bill Gates, Chairman of the Audit Committee Chuck Noski and Chairman of the Compensation Committee Steve Luczo. The special committee is working with Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., a leading executive recruiting firm, and will consider both external and internal candidates.

“The board is committed to the effective transformation of Microsoft to a successful devices and services company,” Thompson said. “As this work continues, we are focused on selecting a new CEO to work with the company’s senior leadership team to chart the company’s course and execute on it in a highly competitive industry.” 

“As a member of the succession planning committee, I’ll work closely with the other members of the board to identify a great new CEO,” said Gates. “We’re fortunate to have Steve in his role until the new CEO assumes these duties.” 

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Meet Steve Ballmer. See his Windows Phone. Video Promo.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Meet Steve Ballmer. See his Windows Phone. Video Promo.



What makes Windows Phone, Steve's phone? Find out from Steve Ballmer and check out the Live Apps he uses most on his Start screen.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer "shout out loud" against Apple, on the innovation competition field.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer "shout out loud" against Apple, on the innovation competition field.

Today Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer "shout out loud" against Apple, saying the company will not leave any “stone unturned” in its innovation battle against Apple.

Declaring that Microsoft and its partners had in the past "ceded some of the boundary between hardware and software innovation" to Apple, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told CRN in an exclusive interview Monday that the company’s Surface tablet marks a new era in which the computer software giant will leave no “stone unturned” in its innovation battle against Apple.

"We are trying to make absolutely clear we are not going to leave any space uncovered to Apple," said an exuberant Ballmer in a 30-minute interview after addressing some 16,000 partners at the company's annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto. "We are not. No space uncovered that is Apple’s.

“We have our advantages in productivity,” he said. “We have our advantages in terms of enterprise management, manageability. We have got our advantages in terms of when you plug into server infrastructure in the enterprise.

"But we are not going to let any piece of this [go uncontested to Apple]," shouted Ballmer. "Not the consumer cloud. Not hardware software innovation. We are not leaving any of that to Apple by itself. Not going to happen. Not on our watch.

"We do feel empowered to innovate everywhere and bring our partners with us," Ballmer said. "We are just not going to leave any -- what’s the expression people like to use -- We’re not going to leave any stone unturned, so to speak, as we pursue that."

Ballmer did not even discount the possibility that Microsoft’s innovation offensive could include its own smartphone to compete against Apple’s wildly popular iPhone. When asked if Microsoft might make its own smartphone, Ballmer paused and then replied: “Right now we are working real hard on the Surface. That’s the focus. That’s our core. Look, we’ll see what happens. We have good partners with Nokia, HDC in the phone space. I love what we've got going on with the Surface. We are going to focus on Surface and our other Windows 8 Tablet partners and see if we can go make something happen.”

The interview with Ballmer is one of the first he has done since the software giant shook up the industry by unveiling plans for a pair of tablet computers dubbed "Surface" in a bold move that thrust the world's largest software company into uncharted hardware waters.

As to whether partners will eventually be able to sell the Surface, which is slated to be available from Microsoft.com and Microsoft retail stores, Ballmer said Microsoft’s initial emphasis was to put “one foot in front of the other” and get the product “out the door.” “But, if a partner says, ‘Hey look I want to sell some of these things. I want to put them in solutions,’ they can order some off Microsoft.com and sell them. There is nothing that gets in the way of that. But, we have not set up what I would call industrial distribution as sort of a first element. We may get there. But, if a partner wants to order some and put them in a solution with the customer, we’ll be excited to see that happen.”

The Surface marks the first time ever that Microsoft has tried Apple's long-successful strategy of tightly integrating its own hardware and software together in sleek products.

Microsoft is introducing two tablet products: Surface for Windows RT, a consumer tablet running Windows 8 on ARM microprocessors that Microsoft expects to be used in the workplace, and Surface for Windows 8 Pro, an Intel Core-based tablet that runs the edition of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system for business professionals.

CRN

Related post:

Canada: Windows 8 available in August for manufacturers, and late October for general public.