Late last week, Microsoft announced its current CEO, Steve Ballmer, would be retiring from his role within the next 12 months. At the time, Microsoft didn’t give any details in regards to why exactly Ballmer was making his exit from the company, instead taking the time to show their appreciation for his previous work to help shape the company into what it is today. But one analyst is arguing that Ballmer may have been pushed out of his CEO role due exceptionally poor sales of the Microsoft Surface RT.
Moor Insights & Strategy’s principal analyst Patrick Moorhead believes Microsoft’s $900 million dollar hit due to an oversupply of Surface RTs may have been the main reason why Ballmer was forced to take his leave. “He was definitely pushed out by the board,” said Moorhead. “They either drove him out, or put him in a situation where he felt he had to leave to save face.”
One of the biggest clues to lead to this speculation is the fact Ballmer was given 12 months to leave his role as CEO while the company looks for a replacement. “Typically, a board will be working behind the scenes for a replacement, but they’ve given themselves 12 months,” said Moorhead. “I think this went down very quickly.”
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