Microsoft considering Ericsson CEO to replace Steve Ballmer

Posted:
in General Discussion edited February 2014
In its ongoing effort to find a replacement for outgoing chief executive Steve Ballmer, Microsoft is now said to be considering Hans Vestberg, CEO of Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson.

Vestberg


Observers say that Vestberg may ultimately be a longshot because of Microsoft's current interest in competing with Apple and Samsung in the consumer electronics space. But Vestberg is said to be on the radar of Microsoft's board of directors, according to Bloomberg.

Thursday's report, revealing his apparent candidacy for the position, portrayed the Ericsson CEO as a "media-savvy technology fanatic," but noted that his being in the running for Microsoft's top job would "come as a surprise to many on Wall Street."

Microsoft's CEO search may have been upended earlier this month, when Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally removed himself from consideration. Mulally was said to be Microsoft's top pick among potential external candidates -- a field that is reportedly "thin."

Of course, the Windows maker could also opt to promote from within for its next chief executive. But a number of Microsoft's most high profile executives have exited the company in recent years, including Windows chief Steven Sinofsky, and Xbox head Don Mattrick.



Ballmer abruptly announced his departure last August, pledging to step down from Microsoft within the following 12 months, once his successor has been chosen. Reports immediately claimed that Ballmer's exit was not as planned as Microsoft publicly claimed.

Ballmer's lengthy departure period comes after 13 years as chief executive of Microsoft, serving as successor to company founder Bill Gates. His tenure was a profitable but tumultuous period for the Redmond, Wash., software giant, which saw its stronghold in smartphones give way to Apple's iPhone and Google's Android, while PC sales continue to decline in the face of Apple's iPad.

Critics contend that Microsoft was flat-footed under Ballmer, unable to adapt in the face of an evolving marketplace being driven by groundbreaking consumer-oriented devices from rival Apple.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 56
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member

    And they think this guy is going to be any better!!! I think M$ has just transition to an era of revolving doors of CEOs

  • Reply 2 of 56
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,834moderator
    Thank goodness for Steve Ballmer.
    - Anonymous voice of Apple
  • Reply 3 of 56

    The next CEO, whoever that might be, better have the attitude that every current product and new product introduced is "Best in Class" or don't release it.

     

    That means a complete redesign from top to bottom of Windows and Office, their mobile OS (sorry, I can't even remember what it's called). And a complete overhaul of their clickity-clack Surface. It has to be best in class. Like Google, Sony, HP, Samsung, etc., I don't think it's in their DNA.

     

    And, unfortunately, Apple has everyone beat in the most important aspect and that is a well-performing eco-sytem.

     

    And the syncing between all devices, iOS and OSX.

     

    Best.

  • Reply 4 of 56
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Wow Gates and Ballmer sure didn't do a very good job of succession planning.
  • Reply 5 of 56

    Where are the dumb critics to bitch about lack of chicks (no offence ladies) to be considered for this position?!!

     

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/01/06/critics-take-issue-with-lack-of-diversity-on-apple-board-of-directors

  • Reply 6 of 56
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    LOL
  • Reply 7 of 56
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,796member

    I would hate to be the one to take over Microsoft. Theres a very large amount of work to be done and it won't happen overnight. Investors will want it to happen overnight but its simply not going to happen. For this reason alone I too think Microsoft will end up cycling CEO's left and right. 

  • Reply 8 of 56
    Wouldn't this be yet another Microsoft CEO that didn't stay ahead of the tech curve, also by letting their competition leap years ahead without reacting?
  • Reply 9 of 56
    [VIDEO]


    [B][U][SIZE=4]The Ballad Of Ballmer[/SIZE][/U][/B]

    "Don't Go Away"

    Cold and frosty morning - there's not a lot to say
    About the things caught in my mind.
    And as the day was dawning my plane flew away
    With all the things caught in my mind.

    And I wanna be there when you're coming down
    And I wanna be there when you hit the ground

    So don't go away,
    Say what you say
    Say that you'll stay
    Forever and a day
    In the time of my life
    'cause I need more time,
    Yes, I need more time
    Just to make things right

    Damn my situation and the games I have to play
    With all the things caught in my mind.
    Damn my education - I can't find the words to say
    With all the things caught in my mind.

    And I wanna be there when you're coming down
    And I wanna be there when you hit the ground

    So don't go away,
    Say what you say
    Say that you'll stay
    Forever and a day
    In the time of my life
    'cause I need more time,
    Yes, I need more time
    Just to make things right

    Me and you - what's going on?
    All we seem to know is how to show
    The feelings that are wrong.

    [x2]
    So don't go away,
    Say what you say
    Say that you'll stay
    Forever and a day
    In the time of my life
    'cause I need more time,
    Yes, I need more time
    Just to make things right

    Yes, I need more time
    Just to make things right

    Yes, I need more time
    Just to make things right

    So don't go away.
  • Reply 10 of 56
    shompashompa Posts: 343member
    The irony...

    Ericsson was in 1997 the worlds biggest cellphone company. They where the biggest base station company. Over 140000 employees.

    Then Ericsson hired ex Microsoft Rolf Skoglund as their IT officer. Until then every single worker had a Unix workstation or a diskless client/Xserve. This could not MSFT "ex" boss handle. He instituted "Ericsson system office environment". Everyone should have a PC with Exchange.

    To make a long story short: You can't develop new phones in Excel. Clippy can't design new base stations. The Unix purge. Swap a working environment against a non working MSFT environment. Phones where delayed. Base stations where delayed. Productivity went down. IT cost skyrocketed. They needed 1 PC support per 10PCs compare to 1 Unix support /150 WS.

    In just 5 years the share price went from 270SEK to 3SEK. All thanks to MSFT. Today Ericsson have exited the mobile phone business.
    Nokia copied every single misstake that Ericsson did.

    So the irony is that Ericsson takes over MSFT. MSFT destroyed Ericsson. Now maybe we can destroy MSFT.

    Because we can't save MSFT. They have zero good product that consumers buy with their free will.

    Solution is to make great products, something that is against the DNA of MSFT. MSFT lives in an "upgrade" world. Make stuff bad enough that people want to upgrade every 24 month.

    How to make great products:
    1) Start windows from scratch. BSD/Unix open source foundation with a windows interface over it so that they can "copyright" it.
    2) Take control over ARM RT. Fix development tools for FAT binaries so that stuff can use both X86 and ARM. License "rosetta" to run X86 code on ARM.
    3) Get an ARM license and develop custom ARM cores. Look at the OS and what it needs and put it into the ARM core that you control.
    4) Agressive pricing on WinRT. F the OEMs. Sell Surface for 199 dollars and make money from apps.

    Hire Ivy as designer and Forestal as CEO and MSFT would be BETTER then Apple.

    (Apple fans/people who have been in MSFT research labs have said that MSFT is todays Apple. But MSFT are not allowed to release the stuff because of OEMs and that they would kill their own customers. MSFT needs to get an Apple attitude and kill its owns product lines like Iphone did with iPod.)
  • Reply 11 of 56

    proposed because of his ability to manage a shrinking company ?

  • Reply 12 of 56

    Good news for Apple!

  • Reply 13 of 56
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member

    Microsoft ought to see what the “Diesel”, Michael Spindler, is up to these days¡¡¡¡¡

  • Reply 14 of 56
    shompa wrote: »
    The irony...

    Ericsson was in 1997 the worlds biggest cellphone company. They where the biggest base station company. Over 140000 employees.

    Then Ericsson hired ex Microsoft Rolf Skoglund as their IT officer. Until then every single worker had a Unix workstation or a diskless client/Xserve. This could not MSFT "ex" boss handle. He instituted "Ericsson system office environment". Everyone should have a PC with Exchange.

    To make a long story short: You can't develop new phones in Excel. Clippy can't design new base stations. The Unix purge. Swap a working environment against a non working MSFT environment. Phones where delayed. Base stations where delayed. Productivity went down. IT cost skyrocketed. They needed 1 PC support per 10PCs compare to 1 Unix support /150 WS.

    In just 5 years the share price went from 270SEK to 3SEK. All thanks to MSFT. Today Ericsson have exited the mobile phone business.
    Nokia copied every single misstake that Ericsson did.

    So the irony is that Ericsson takes over MSFT. MSFT destroyed Ericsson. Now maybe we can destroy MSFT.

    Because we can't save MSFT. They have zero good product that consumers buy with their free will.

    Solution is to make great products, something that is against the DNA of MSFT. MSFT lives in an "upgrade" world. Make stuff bad enough that people want to upgrade every 24 month.

    How to make great products:
    1) Start windows from scratch. BSD/Unix open source foundation with a windows interface over it so that they can "copyright" it.
    2) Take control over ARM RT. Fix development tools for FAT binaries so that stuff can use both X86 and ARM. License "rosetta" to run X86 code on ARM.
    3) Get an ARM license and develop custom ARM cores. Look at the OS and what it needs and put it into the ARM core that you control.
    4) Agressive pricing on WinRT. F the OEMs. Sell Surface for 199 dollars and make money from apps.

    Hire Ivy as designer and Forestal as CEO and MSFT would be BETTER then Apple.

    (Apple fans/people who have been in MSFT research labs have said that MSFT is todays Apple. But MSFT are not allowed to release the stuff because of OEMs and that they would kill their own customers. MSFT needs to get an Apple attitude and kill its owns product lines like Iphone did with iPod.)

    Interesting thought...

    Rosetta was/is an Apple implementation of QuickTransit technology licensed from Transitive Corporation.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_(software)

    Transitive Corporation was acquired by IBM in 2009.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickTransit

    AFAIK, there never was a x86 to ARM implementation.


    It is worth noting that a Russian company claims to have an x86 to ARM binary translator:

    http://eltechs.com

    http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2012/10/04/x86-on-arm/1


    Now, assuming that you could run legacy x86 code on ARM at, say, 60%-80% performance...


    Would you want to?

    Which ARM APUs are robust enough (hint 64-bit) to do the job?

    Wouldn't you need a larger screen with a windowing capability?

    Wouldn't you need significantly more Battery, RAM and SSD


    Could you still call that mobile?


    Edit:

    I keep forgetting that there is more to ARM than mobile:
    IBM [NASDAQ:IBM] today announced jointly with ARM [NASDAQ:ARMH] that they would be licensing both ARM's Cortex line of processors as well as their Mali GPUs. Specifically, the company mentioned that they would be licensing the ARM Cortex-A15, Cortex-A12, Cortex-A7 and Cortex-M4 processors, as well as the ARM Mali-450 GPU. IBM specifically noted that this licensing agreement between the two companies is a result of the fact that IBM's custom chip design business saw an interest in the technology.

    Considering the fact that IBM designs various chips for their customers, it makes sense that they would want to license ARM cores for certain uses. IBM's own press release mentions networking customers, cellular base station companies and other networking solutions. Clearly IBM was interested in licensing ARM cores for these designs because they are well known for their power-saving architectures. While the A15 isn't considered to be the most power-saving of architectures, the others mentioned are very power stingy.

    This comes as a surprise to some, since IBM has always been a company that has designed their own processors using the Power ISA. IBM's chips can be found in a broad array of products ranging from the Power 7 in certain cloud, big data and supercomputing applications down to the Espresso processor, which can be found in the Wii U. IBM has licensed ARM architectures in the past for their custom chip design customers like Nintendo, however, this shows a significantly larger commitment to ARM architectures than in the past. This could be attributed to the fact that IBM recently opened up their Power architecture with the newly announced Open Power Consortium.

    I believe that we may see IBM moving into ARM-based Microservers in order for them to be able to compete with that segment of the server market, which continues to see more and more growth. They could theoretically go with Intel's latest Atom processor architecture for their Microservers, however, I believe that IBM wants to develop their own chips and fab all of it themselves. I don't really see IBM trying to design many mobile processors for customers, but I wouldn't rule it out. Right now though, they seem to be primarily interested in facilitating their networking customers' needs.

    http://www.brightsideofnews.com/news/2013/10/24/ibm-licenses-arm-cortex-cores-and-mali-gpus.aspx
  • Reply 15 of 56
    maestro64 wrote: »
    And they think this guy is going to be any better!!!

    Why do you think he's no better than Baller? Which were bad calls while on the clock? I'm not familiar with this CEO.
  • Reply 16 of 56
    rogifan wrote: »
    Wow Gates and Ballmer sure didn't do a very good job of succession planning.

    Alan Mulally (sp?) of Ford reportedly didn't want the job because both Ballmer and Gates would be interfering as board members. Until they are both removed, Microsoft can expect more of the same.
  • Reply 17 of 56
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    Hard to confirm if he has my approval until I see him dance and scamper around a stage.

    And what's his whooping ability like?
  • Reply 18 of 56
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by GTR View Post



    Hard to confirm if he has my approval until I see him dance and scamper around a stage.



    And what's his whooping ability like?

     

    ... and does he sweat buckets.

  • Reply 19 of 56
    emesemes Posts: 239member
    Yet another useless article that has nothing to Apple, designed only to feed the trolls and spawn MS hate
  • Reply 20 of 56
    mj webmj web Posts: 918member
    Bongo the chimp could run Microsoft better than Steve Balmer. Microsoft isn't even Microsoft anymore, Google is!
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