New Delhi: Microsoft Corp.'s board is preparing to make Satya Nadella, the company's enterprise and cloud chief, chief executive officer, according to reports published in the media.
The reports also indicate that the board is also considered to replace Microsoft chairman and co-founder Bill Gates. One person the board is considering to take the place of co-founder Gates as chairman is Microsoft lead independent director John Thompson, sources said. Even if Gates steps down as chairman, he may be more involved in the company, especially in fields like product development.
The change of guard comes at a point when the software giant is shifting its focus on hardware and Internet-based services. Nadella, 46, emerged as one of the stronger candidates to replace departing CEO Steve Ballmer, 57, weeks ago.
Other two major contenders in the race were strategy head Tony Bates, former CEO of Skype, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2011; and Stephen Elop, former head of Nokia acquired by the giant in 2013. But reports suggest that the search was conclusively over.
