Microsoft may be inching closer to finding a suitable successor to Steve Ballmer as the head of Microsoft.
Reuters reports that Microsoft is considering Ericsson Chief Executive Hans Vestberg for the job.
The dynamic 48-year-old Swede fits the bill as a media-savvy technology fanatic, but his emergence as a leading candidate for the U.S. company will still come as a surprise to many on Wall Street.
Vestberg, however, has “struggled to convince investors” that Ericsson can still be an innovative leader in mobile. In fact, the company’s shares have underperformed the sector since he ascended to CEO.
“I don’t think it’s very likely that they will choose Vestberg,” Bengt Nordstrom, head of Swedish telecoms consultancy Northstream, tells Reuters. “It’s more logical that they will find a U.S. leader, from their network of owners, board members and experienced CEOs with a software, enterprise and media background. There’s enough with talent and experience in the U.S. market.”
