Live data from Hacker News

Nokia acquired by Microsoft

blogs.technet.com

11–20 of 573 posts

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#11
Microsoft is becoming more and more of an integrated software and hardware company than a purely software one. Maybe it's time to change the name to something without the "soft".

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#16
"From January 2008 to September 2010, Elop worked for Microsoft as the head of the Business Division, responsible for the Microsoft Office and Microsoft Dynamics line of products, and as a member of the company's senior leadership team. It was during this time that Microsoft's Business Division released Office 2010.[15]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Elop

Don't believe he'll be the next CEO but certainly a possibility given his previous engagement with MSFT...

Re: Nokia acquired by Microsoft

#19
To everyone speculating about what this means for the possibility of Elop succeeding Ballmer: this means that Elop is succeeding Ballmer. End of story.

edit: I would love to know why this is getting downvoted.

edit2: fair enough.

Two key facts:

1. Microsoft needs a new CEO.

They have a limited pool to choose from. The following are seemingly reasonable candidates:

- Mark Zuckerberg (never going to happen, he wouldn't agree to it)

- Steve Sinofsky (that ship has sailed)

- Tony Bates (seems like a reasonable choice; relative outsider, smart, has a tech background)

- Another member of Steve's SLT (some would be better than others. I think a sizable portion of the company would revolt if KT was chosen).

- Sheryl Sandberg (doubt it, since I think she's gunning for the US Senate)

- Carly Fiorina (MS's board would never agree to it)

- Stephen Elop (reasonably obvious choice: insider, devices experience, has CEO experience, but there's that pesky Nokia thing)

2. Microsoft has a new, relatively large, soon-to-be-on-the-board activist share holder in ValueAct. ValueAct will have a significant amount of authority over yea'ing or nay'ing acquisitions and over who the new CEO will be.

I can't imagine there's any way Elop would agree to working under someone else again. He also seems like a not-unreasonable choice for CEO of Microsoft, outside of the fact that he hasn't exactly made Nokia back into a rip-roaring success, and doesn't represent much of a change from business as usual at Microsoft.

Post reply on HN