Another historical figure, charismatic, and the computing world is going to bow out: with an official statement posted on the company's web site, Steve Ballmer has expressed his intention to leave his position of CEO at Microsoft within the next twelve months, the period required for the appointment of a replacement. In the press release Ballmer expresses the reasons for this choice: " there is no perfect time for this kind of decisions, but now is the right time. We have adopted new strategies with a new organization. We have a terrific Senior Leadership Team. We need a CEO who can stay longer to continue along this path ".

Steve Ballmer had taken over the post left by Bill Gates on June 27, 2008. The founder of the Redmond company will participate in the appointment of Deputy: " as a member of the Committee for the appointment of a new CEO, I will work closely with other members to choose a new strong figure for the company. Will be lucky to have Steve still in his role before the new Chief Executive Officer to replace him . "