Microsoft’s Next CEO?

It came as no surprise that Steve Ballmer is “retiring” as CEO of Microsoft. The board had no choice but to show him the door. Microsoft’s performance has been terrible. The company has consistently missed capitalizing on all the major technology waves since the PC OS, with the exception of gaming. Even worse: Under Ballmer’s watch Microsoft has lost the trust and loyalty of enterprise and business customers as well as consumers. Putting Steven Elop in charge of Microsoft would be a big mistake, although it’s a temptation, since the company’s current challenge is gaining share on mobile devices. Attracting a strong female tech CEO might garner some PR, and it might counter Ballmer’s testosterone-driven “crush the enemy” ethos. But it’s not going to revitalize Microsoft’s culture. There’s only one person who can restore Microsoft and set the company back on the right path. And that’s obvious: Bill Gates. Let’s hope that BillG is ready to come back to rebuild the culture, win back customers’ trust, and come up with mobile networked solutions that customers (business and consumers) actually want to make part of their lives.