Ford's Mulally won't be the next CEO of Microsoft

With automobiles quickly becoming giant-sized smartphones on wheels, the odds-on favorite to replace Steve Ballmer at Microsoft was Ford's CEO Alan Mulally. With these rumors beginning to affect morale at the automaker, Mulally decided to put an end to the speculation by announcing on Tuesday that he was not putting his name in the hat for the position.

In a statement to the media, the 68 year old executive said, "I would like to end the Microsoft speculation because I have no other plans to do anything other than serve Ford...you don’t have to worry about me leaving." The press has mobbed Detroit since the North American International Auto Show is set to begin in the next few days.

Mulally has not said whether he actually sat down with Microsoft to discuss the CEO job, or whether he was even offered the position. The Ford CEO's announcement would seem to catapult Microsoft's own Satya Nadella into the favorite's position to be named as Microsoft's new CEO. Nadella is currently the head of the software giant's Cloud and Enterprise group.

Microsoft board member John W. Thompson said last month that a new CEO will be named early this year.

source: Forbes