Got the table salt ready? Good. WPdang.com, who has about a 50% accuracy rating on Sorsed for getting rumors right, is making a bold claim that Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s current chief operating officer, will be the next CEO of Microsoft.
Turner’s name has been repeatedly tossed around in connection with the top job at Redmond, along with Stephen Elop, Alan Mulally and a few others. According to the report, however, Turner won the race to become the new chief exec. Of course, this comes from a site that has missed the mark previously but they did accurately nail down their most recent rumor that was the merger of Microsoft developer accounts for Windows Phone and Windows Store.
Now, where the story falls apart in our minds, is that the source claims that Turner will only hold the spot for 2-3 years and that Elop will succeed Turner after that time. That’s a short time for a CEO to be installed at a multinational corporation; big companies - and their investors - demand management stability, and Microsoft has previously seen its CEOs remain in position for far longer.
Elop, of course, was the CEO of Nokia and will be re-joining Microsoft once the acquisition is complete of Nokia’s handset division. Elop’s name was in the running as well for the MS CEO position but many believed he did not have all the credentials to lead Microsoft’s expansive product lines into the next generation. The implication of today's report is that Elop would sit in Turner's shadow, learning the ropes, until he ascends to take the throne in a few years' time.
Of course, make sure to drink a tall glass of water with all the salt you consumed while reading this post, as we won't really know if there's any truth to this rumor until Microsoft officially announces the appointment of its next CEO.
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