“According to sources close to the situation, Ford CEO Alan Mulally has vaulted to the forefront of the candidates to become the new CEO of Microsoft,” Kara Swisher reports for AllThingsD.
“People with knowledge of the situation said that while the 68-year-old Mulally — who has been CEO of Ford for seven years and is a well-known business star — was not seeking the job at first, he has become more amenable to the idea in recent weeks,” Swisher reports. “Among the factors: Mulally was a former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the Seattle area and has long wanted to return there, where he continues to keep a home. In addition, he was a close adviser to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in his recent effort to create a new management structure for the company.”
Swisher reports, “Sources said that while [Nokia CEO Stephen] Elop has remained a top candidate, there has been a shift in recent weeks toward Mulally, who has much turnaround experience.”
Read more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Don’t blow it, Microsoft board! Stephen Elop is your next CEO. We like that strategy. We like it a lot.
That said, Mulally is the genius who decided to go with Microsoft SYNC/MyFord Touch which sank Ford customer satisfaction ratings to new depths, so he might be perfect for the job!
Related articles:
Ford plummets to 27th in J.D. Power vehicle quality rankings on Microsoft-developed ‘MyFord Touch’ woes – June 20, 2012
Nine auto makers partner with Apple for ‘Eyes Free’ Siri integration – June 12, 2012
Stung by plummeting quality ratings, Ford to upgrade glitch-prone Microsoft-designed ‘MyFord Touch’ systems – November 7, 2011
Microsoft’s confusing, buggy Sync sinks Ford’s J.D. Power quality ratings – June 23, 2011
When crap collides: Ford and Microsoft team up for in-vehicle operating system – December 29, 2006
Hmmmmm; why would he really want to do that? Ford is really the only independent American auto manufacturer, having been able to stay away from the government money/drug injection that made GM a ward of the government and robbed the GM bondholders who legally were supposed to be first in line. Chrysler is a subsidiary of Fiat. I have not been necessarily a Ford fan, but they will be first on my list to buy a new vehicle if I do. Seems like Mullaley is doing a good job, why leave that for Microsoft?
Maybe he likes a big challenge.
You may want to check your facts:
http://jalopnik.com/5704575/ford-bmw-toyota-took-secret-government-money
Ford Credit received $15.9 billion in federal loans; GMAC received $13.9 billion. Even foreign automakers lined up to the trough (not surprising, as many auto dealers are multi-brand).
It is inexplicable why the misconception persists that Ford is somehow more pure than any other automaker. Facts show it to be the biggest leech of all.
I think it might be appropriate to have Long Duk Dong from “16 Candles” interject with his description of how he drunkenly drove the car into the “lake…BIG lake!”, here.