Microsoft Boss Steve Ballmer Quits, Shares Soar
Ballmer who succeeded Bill Gates as CEO in 2000, will stay on until a successor is found. Gates will be part of the small committee that is entrusted with finding a successor and it will be chaired by the John Thompson, the board's lead independent director, and consider internal and external candidates.
"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."
Devices chief Julie Larson-Green is said to be frontrunner for the post. The other two contenders include Paul Maritz who led Microsoft’s platforms business and developer relations when he left the company in 2000 after a 14-year run and Satya Nadella who is leading Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise software group.
Read Also: Yahoo Beats Google In Web Traffic For The First Time In 2 Years and 8 Ways Google Ensures your Data Security
