Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Pretends to Be Sad

Who wins?
Even if it’s not great for Mattrick’s ego, he’s the biggest winner overall. The Xbox bungling was made out to be bigger than it was by hardcore gamers and gaming media. The combination put Mattrick in a difficult PR position if he were to stay at Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). By moving to Zynga, he can put that episode behind him.

Microsoft is no worse off. There are plenty of internal and external candidates for the role, and the evolving nature of the Xbox One means that even a new hire could make some real differences. I imagine that role will be filled in the next month, or possibly left vacant until after the launch.

While Zynga certainly doesn’t lose in this scenario, it’s clearly not the winner. The CEO position could have gone to someone who had a history of making real game-changing decisions. Mattrick is well-qualified, but that seems to be it. I can’t imagine him being more than a manager — but Zynga really needs a leader.

The article Microsoft Pretends to Be Sad originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Andrew Marder.

Fool contributor Andrew Marder has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft.

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