Mullaly On Short List to Head Microsoft

With all the mobile devices entering the market, MSFT's slice is eroding. For those who don't know, Win8 is a flop. In this segment that Apple brought into our lives, Samsung has passed Apple in the areas that really make the money for them, like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the multi-tasking Galaxy 10.1 Tablet. By comparison, the latest iPhone and iPad Air seem archaic and like a legacy system, old and dated, lacking behind in capability. Were MSFT to get Mullaly as their leader, I think it would be an enormous shot in the arm for MSFT and that entire industry. But Ford should be afraid, very afraid, of life after Mulally leaves Ford. Mulally may not be 'magical', but I'd rather have him on my team than the team of the competitors.

@highdesertcat "By comparison, the latest iPhone and iPad Air seem archaic and like a legacy system, old and dated, lacking behind in capability." Don't start that here, please.

@Vega Sorry, it was meant to illustrate that the emergence of new tech often goes hand in hand with new strategies, set forth by unconventional leaders who think "outside the box". Clearly, Mulally, possesses some uniquely portable management skills that can move from industry to industry.

@highdesertcat Microsoft makes heaps of money on business software and licensing and shows no sign of slowing down. Microsoft isn't at all the sick old man of the technology world that most people seem to think it is. Microsoft's consumer product division represent just a fraction of their revenue which is why it really can't be compared to consumer-only companies like Apple or Samsung. In many ways Microsoft is more similar to Boeing than it is Apple. Since so many of its businesses customers lock into a technology platform for years Microsoft isn't under constant pressure to release a shiny i-Device of the season to lure fickle consumers and stay relevant.

@azmtbkr81 Yet, Surface and Windows 8 commercials abound, both of which are ultimately consumer product prattle. The business world tires of MSFT if a legitimate competitor emerges (i.e. Oracle enter the MS product sphere outside of databases) things could change very quickly.

@Vega Fanboy arguments aside, Microsoft's slice of the mobile market isn't "eroding", it's dead. They had a huge chunk of the market back in the Windows Mobile 6 days, and then they missed a step and all of a sudden they're a rounding error. That market moves a lot faster than the auto market (or commercial aircraft for that matter). Android and iOS have the market carved up pretty well between the two of them and whoever ends up running the place has their work cut out for them. I'm pretty sure it'll be Elop, to repay him for the trojan-horse trick he pulled with Nokia, but what do I know?

@aristurtle Yep, whoever ends up running the place has their work cut out for them. You might be right about Elop and he is a lot closer to the action already. But that could also hinder his objectivity. I honestly don't know how this thing will unwind down to the final selection. But I'm interested on two levels. I don't know what Ford can do to keep Mulally because the old axiom of "3-5 then up" still applies for most people in key places. Mulally is already at the top of his game at Ford, so a new and different challenge will be in the works for him, IF he decides to keep working. People at his level don't do it for the money. They do it for the challenge. The money is commensurate with their established track record and more than ensures a golden parachute for him. In any case, I hope that we, the people, who buy these fabulous new products now and into the future will enjoy even better options. I've got Win8 on a laptop and it is not MSFT's best effort. My biggest concern at the moment is, iPad Air or Galaxy 10.1 Tablet? When it came to new phones the Galaxy S4 readily won the battle and my 16-yo inherited her grandmother's iPhone. Now she wants an iPad Air to utilize the wi-fi capability of her grandmother's iPhone. They had the iPad Air at Sam's Club. Personally, I prefer the Galaxy 10.1 with its multi-tasking capability but Apple has the better selection of Apps. Ultimately, either needs to help my 16-yo through HS.

@azmtbkr81 Exactly -- their server software business is very, very strong and a cash cow for the company. Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) is a the defacto standard of the world's business productivity. Outlook is also the way the corporate world works, despite the contention that e-mail is so 20th Century. Microsoft certainly doesn't have one foot in the grave as we see from the forum postings. They do have a very real issue in missing the mobile device OS boat, and the decline of client machines in general (desktops, laptops) is certainly worrisome. Steve Balmer is not a dumb man -- he's most worried about the Google monster and the new CEO will need to as well. Can Mulally be that person? Perhaps. Guys at his level love the challenge.

I agree with most of this. It's been a long time but IIRC, MSFT and IBM were jointly developing OS/2 and MSFT dropped out and later pursued their own solution eventually releasing Win95. IMO, this was the death knell for OS/2: At the launch of OS/2 Warp in 1994, Patrick Stewart was to be the Master of Ceremonies; however Kate Mulgrew[26] of the then-upcoming series Star Trek: Voyager was substituted at the last minute. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS/2 The Picard was angry with them, indeed.

"If his ego is so out of control that he crawls into the Microsoft hairball, he’ll get what he deserves." Yes, MS is a major mess, but people had really bad things to say about pre-Mulally Ford management too. MS needs a change agent and Mulally has a track record of success busting up entrenched bureaucracies. Mulally kisses cars, says "golly" a lot and wears sweater vests, but that is all a sophisticated way of distracting people from the fact that he is a massive iron fist. It's all smiles and pats on the back until its obvious you can't get the job done, despite being given help, support and coaching or just don't care. Microsoft is full of really competent people being held back by a massively dysfunctional organization. I'd love to see Mulally play corporate whack-a-mole in Redmond.