Elop Favored By Gamblers As Microsoft's Next Chief Executive 196
PolygamousRanchKid writes "A gambling website's favorite as Microsoft Corp.'s next chief executive officer is Stephen Elop, the Nokia CEO who has presided over a 62 percent decline in market value. Elop, a former Microsoft executive, has 5-to-1 odds to be hired as Steve Ballmer's replacement, according to Ladbrokes, the U.K.-based gambling operator. He leads a pool including internal candidates Kevin Turner and Julie Larson-Green and outsiders like Apple CEO Tim Cook — a 100-to-1 dark horse."
The Two Steves (Score:2, Insightful)
He is like Mr 4%, honestly, Steve is a huge improvement on him!
Windows Phone may never hit 4%, and they are both called Steve.
Probably not (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Tim Cook? (Score:5, Insightful)
Stock price doesn't mean diddley squat. GE is immense and their stock price isn't great but they do very well in their markets.
And this visionary thing is overrated, Apple isn't going to produce a groundbreaking device in a new market for them every three years. No company can does that.
Re:Kevin Turner = massive exodus (Score:4, Insightful)
I respectfully disagree. Ballmer represents their own culture, any change would be admitting they were wrong. I fully expect MS to shrink over the next several decades because of this. I can't think of any companies that have ever survived and recovered from that kind of MBA infection.
Too Many Problems (Score:5, Insightful)
1. Release Windows 8.2 with the start menu fully restored, Metro apps able to run on the desktop mode and Metro only a primary UI option on touch screen PCs unless the user configures otherwise (either way should still be an option).
2. Release Windows RT 2 tablet in $200 and $300 32gb and 64gb options with full Microsoft Office. Microsoft needs to just flood the market with low cost, Kindle-like Windows tablets that'll run any traditional Windows app recompiled for ARM (another restriction that needs to go from Windows 8).
3. Attack the living room not just with the XBox One, but alternatives to protocols like AirPlay that are open, documented and patent-free for other vendors to implement. Microsoft can isolate Apple even more by returning to its roots of being of one of the most open big vendors in the industry.
I love quick fixes. The problem with Microsoft is the the company. We are asking why an army of clever; highly qualified and paid individuals could release so many failures...obvious failures before release.
Lets look at your fixes(Lipstick on a Pig) you address the unpopular Metro Interface failure, by having it there as a kludge; It was never about a start menu it was about creating an ecosystem with a consistent interface so they could force themselves into the mobile market(They use the word "ecosystem"), and cash in on the lockdown (store and hardware) to Microsoft product and services. The answer wasn't to use the advantages over mobile (10x power and screen real estate, good input, massive storage) they simply dumbed down a computer to a poor tablet. How about Microsoft accept its in competition and compete by producing the Best Desktop ever.
Then you bring up cost. Microsoft walk around with 70% gross margins while its partners do with 10%-20%, and not only is office unwanted they also charge for that too. Traditional Windows Apps do not work on a tablet. No wonder the devices are considered overprices and its partners are turning away. How about Microsoft change their business stratergy?
Bill Gates might have got into the living room with the console, but seriously its a $500, £430 in the UK and 500 Euros console (ignoring its anti-gamer launch) it is going against a $35 Device Chromecast. that already has an alternative to Airplay and works for iOS and Android. How about Microsoft stop selling hardware but sell software...hold on did Andriod just get another 6 Consoles.
The bottom line is a few quick fixes...and these aren't are not going to fix the problem.
Re:Name game (Score:4, Insightful)
That is the beauty of getting into the CEO club. The boards of directors of all the other big companies are made up of C level executives, so once someone is in the club they can all vote for each other and guarantee themselves a giant paycheck. Even if they completely run a company into the dirt, they are guaranteed that their buddies in the C-Club will take care of them at their next position; because they will do the same on the boards they serve on.
The need someone who innovates less! (Score:4, Insightful)
Let's face it, Microsoft has recently seen a huge amount of innovation.
- a completely new UI for Windows
- gambling a couple billion dollars on Windows RT
- locking down the XBox with draconian DRM
These were HUGE gambles, Ballmer had HUGE stones. They were really betting the company on this dynamic new strategic path.
It just so happens that this is innovation that really fscking sucked. They need a CEO who recognizes that Microsoft cannot innovate. It is not something that the company does well.
Bitterness.... (Score:0, Insightful)
Break the company up (Score:4, Insightful)
And I don't mean for "waah waah antitrust" reasons, I mean because I honestly think we'd see a hell of a lot more innovation in more productive directions. A parent company might hold majority shareholdings in the subsidiaries, but daily operations (including pretty much all strategic thinking) should come from the individual companies Microsoft would be split into, not from the big hulking brute that is Microsoft today.
The idea being that
Off the top of my head, you'd wind up with:
- Home Entertainment. Gets the XBox. Without the "mustn't play nicely with others" mentality coming from the top, they could license DAAP and integrate with Apple, maybe use the xbox as some sort of media centre that can stream to devices around the house.
- Operating systems. Gets Windows - both client and server. Because it's now effectively a separate company, they can build stronger relationships with others - the concern that there's a conflict of interest somewhere mostly evaporates.
- Enterprise Software. Gets SQL Server, Exchange, Sharepoint, maybe IIS. Without the "must integrate everything 15 ways from Sunday and run only on Windows" push coming from HQ, there's scope to openly publish integration mechanisms.
- Productivity Software: Gets Office, Visio etc. Opens the door for publishing an API that allows third party companies wanting to build a Sharepoint-alike and integrate just as seamlessly as Sharepoint does. (Or does Sharepoint just use WebDAV?)