The CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, informed that he will retire in the following 12 months. Ballmer "inherited" the company from Bill Gates in 2000. What does he say about his decision, and what does it precisely mean for the future of Microsoft?
Ballmer's decision to leave the company in the following 12 months will certainly affect Microsoft. First of all, the computer giant will have to find a good replacement for the current CEO. That will be by no means easy, since Microsoft is going through enormous changes and has to constantly fight its way to keeping the pace and staying the leader. This is true for both desktops as well as mobile devices. Ballmer justified his decision by saying that the company needs a CEO who will stay with Microsoft for longer and will be able to supervise the whole process of makeover, from its beginning till the very end.
While some where suprised at Steve Ballmer's decision, a great deal of people sighed with relief, claiming that Microsoft needs a fresh start and a person who will be able to deal with bigger changes. The financial world rewarded the company with a 6.7% increase of Microsoft's value on the market . The majority of critics commenting on Ballmer's decision focuses on pointing out the mistakes he's make when making new decisions during his time as the CEO. Windows 8's lack of popularity does not help Ballmer's reputation, either, as he will forever remain in users' memories as the CEO who introduced that system.
Now Microsoft needs someone who will help the company deal with the outcome of Ballmer's decisions. The giant was too slow to join the fight in the field of mobile devices, as Windows Phone is not markedly successful and far less popular then Android and iOS-run devices. Not to mention that Surface devices with Windows RT are very rarely met. The company lost about 900 million dollars on Surface RT, and it's only in the first three months of 2013.
Microsoft gained its popularity thanks to desktop supports and great operating systems for classic PCs. Now, however, it is trying to change into quite a different company, and mobile devices - whether we like it or not - will play the first violin in this future Microsoft. And that's not the field that Ballmer gloated in. Although Microsoft still earn billions - it's difficult for a company that has been on the market for so long and is still popular to lose its market share in just a year - it will nevertheless need fresh blood and another technological visions to thrive.
