Could Microsoft’s Next CEO Come from Google?
Rumor has it that Microsoft’s next CEO could be from Google and that is more than possible considering how Marissa Mayer’s move to Yahoo has gone well.
So, who could it possibly be?
Among a slew of names that are in the running, Vic Gundotra who has led Google’s Google+ efforts for a while now yet what makes him stand out amongst Microsoft’s other probables is the fact that he has been a former Microsoft employee. What goes against this track record is that he does not have experience as a CEO.
Another name that comes to mind is Andy Rubin who, since the Sundar Pichai being put in charge of ChromeOS and Android, has gone quiet. Given his experiences with both software and devices, the position of CEO at Microsoft seems a perfect fit. With that said, Mayer’s move to Yahoo was no different during her last few months at Google.
And even though he doesn’t have the experience of running a massive company, he still does have relevant experience as that of a CEO.
As for others such as Sundar Pichai and Urs Holzle, the former seems to be in the position of a CEO-in-training (and won’t leave, for that reason) while the latter’s experience in running Google’s technical infrastructure will not fit Microsoft’s needs or Ballmer’s shoes, for that matter.
Other non-Google name include Amazon’s CTO Werner Vogles, Cisco’s Padmasree Warrior, former VMWare CEO Paul Maritz, former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. However, none of them seems to be a perfect fit either.
What is for sure is that the person they do select should be aware of how broad tech companies have become or someone who has prior experience running a company.
With that said, one cannot rule out internal candidates such as Satya Nadella and Terry Myerson either.