Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P), Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE:CSC)
Mark Zuckerberg Says Bill Gates Was His Childhood Hero. That Explains a Lot. (Slate)
As a child, Mark Zuckerberg idolized Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) CEO Bill Gates, he said at a TechCrunch event in San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon. The remark came after TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington asked Zuckerberg whether he thought Gates would return to Microsoft as chief executive now that Steve Ballmer is stepping down. Zuckerberg demurred, but then added, “When I was growing up, Bill Gates was my hero.” Arrington feigned surprise. “Really, Bill Gates?” he asked. “He’s like Darth Vader. He’s not Luke Skywalker—he’s the bad guy!”
Pandora taps ad exec McAndrews as new CEO (PNJ)
Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) named advertising executive and venture capitalist Brian McAndrews as its CEO Wednesday to help the Internet radio company build its online ad business. McAndrews comes from venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and digital marketing giant aQuantive. He succeeds Joe Kennedy as CEO, president and chairman effective immediately, Pandora said. Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) shares jumped $1.20, 6.5%, to $21.38 in after-hours trading on Wednesday, following the news. During the trading session, the shares rose $1.03, 5.1%, to end at $21.38 — an all-time closing high the Internet radio company. Pandora’s shares are up 104.1% the past year vs. a gain of 17.2% for the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index.
Microsoft investors seek turnaround expert for new CEO (MyBroadband)
At least three of the top 20 investors in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) want a turnaround expert to succeed Steve Ballmer as chief executive and have urged the technology giant’s board to consider Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) CEO Alan Mulally and Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE:CSC) CEO Mike Lawrie for the job, several sources familiar with the matter said. The special committee of the board, which is conducting the CEO search, and its advisers have been meeting with shareholders after Ballmer’s surprise decision late last month to retire within a year, the sources said. It could name a CEO as soon as the end of this year, the sources said.
Marissa Mayer: new Microsoft CEO needs to understand enterprise (GeekWire)
It seems everyone has an opinion on who Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s next CEO should be, but if Marissa Mayer has a name, she’s not telling. While TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington tried his hardest to get a name out of the Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) CEO, Mayer chose to only speak in broad terms, saying that any new CEO needs to have a solid grasp of Microsoft’s enterprise business.
Microsoft’s Carbon Offsets Have Impact Across the World (TriplePundit)
Microsoft, once the big, bad and bullying tech giant, has reinvented itself in recent years as a more progressive company executing impressive work on social enterprise and environmental issues. The company’s carbon neutrality strategy, which launched last year, is starting to show results in part because of investments in carbon offsets.
Yahoo CEO: Bill Gates is a phenomenal leader (CNBC)
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