Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO): What Will the Post-Ballmer World Look Like?

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has made its share of cuts and acquisitions in recent years, but a CEO who tries to make drastic changes might not go over well with customers. The poor reception of Windows 8 shows that massive change isn’t necessarily the way to go with Microsoft’s products. Instead, the CEO should focus on improving what Microsoft already has without making changes for the sake of change.

Moving forward

Ballmer was not well-liked in many circles. The 8.7% jump in Microsoft’s stock price after his impending retirement was announced illustrates this well.Despite this, he at least acknowledged that things needed to change in Redmond if the company is going to hold on to its position in the technology world.

Whomever Ballmer and the board choose as the next CEO, the company is facing an uphill battle to become a dominant force in the industry again. The new CEO can’t afford to be too conservative with Ballmer’s legacy, but at the same time doesn’t need to rely on acquisitions to change the company’s direction. Microsoft needs to find a way to be innovative and produce products that customers want, not that they use simply because they used the previous version. Only time will tell if this is too tall an order for the new CEO to handle.

The article What Will the Post-Ballmer World Look Like? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by John Casteele.

John Casteele owns shares of Apple and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Yahoo!. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Microsoft. 

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