Future Microsoft CEO wants to dump Xbox business

Microsoft CEO candidate Stephen Elop said to consider selling Xbox business, killing Bing

Microsoft is currently searching for a new CEO to replace Steve Ballmer who plans to retire within the next 10 months. Recent reports suggest the company has shortlisted Ford CEO Alan Mulally and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop as external candidates. Mulally has stated he has no intentions to leave Ford, but a Bloomberg report claims that Elop has big plans if he’s made CEO. After a brief stint as the head of Microsoft’s business division, responsible for Office and other products, Elop’s return to Microsoft in the CEO position would reportedly involve a push for Office on Android and iOS.

Elop is reportedly considering a strategy shift away from Microsoft’s tradition of Office running primarily on Windows PCs. Bloomberg reports that Elop is formulating "some broad strategic outlines for Microsoft," in what is likely to be part of the interview process for the CEO position.

Elop’s potential strategy is said to involve maximizing sales of Office instead of using it to push Windows PC and tablet sales. Microsoft’s Office and server software has been performing well in recent financial results, while Windows continues to struggle alongside a declining PC industry. Although Office has launched for iOS and Android, Microsoft could certainly do more to offer complete versions on those rival platforms.

Bloomberg also suggests that Elop is willing to shut down or sell some major Microsoft businesses. Elop would reportedly considering killing off the company’s Bing search engine, while contemplating selling the Xbox business.

Some investors and analysts have previously called for the software giant to split off its Xbox business and give up on search. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen appears to feel the same way. Allen’s $15 billion asset manager, Paul Ghaffari, revealed recently that Bing and Xbox have been distractions for Microsoft. "My view is there are some parts of that operation they should probably spin out, get rid of, to focus on the enterprise and focus on the cloud." Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund claims Microsoft’s financial earnings could be boosted by 40 percent in fiscal 2015 if the company sold its Bing and Xbox businesses.

Any sale of Bing or Xbox seems unlikely, despite continued suggestions over the years. Microsoft is moving to integrate its search engine experience directly into Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone, and the company is just weeks away from launching its next-generation Xbox One console. Bing also powers a number Xbox search and app features. Either way, Microsoft’s CEO search appears to be progressing with some suggesting the company may name a Ballmer successor by the end of the year.

Pack it up lems.

*Breaks out the champagne bottle*

I'd hate to see this happen as less competition is always a bad thing.

lol at your tittle.

Elop is not the CEO of MS. Might be in the future but who knows.

And no he didn't say he's killing xbox. That's what the writer of the article assumes he would do.

I mean seriously, what's with your title.

+ important shareholders want MS to get rid of Xbox

http://microsoft-news.com/activist-shareholders-may-force-microsoft-to-sell-xbox-bing/

Not often I agree with you, Mirko, but this is one of those cases. I may still have my strong gaming leanings towards Nintendo, but I do like their competitions hardware, and would hate to see MS go. Even the loss of SEGA hardware had me down.

If that happen, there would be mass suicide for lems all over the world

the glorious new character limit.

Steambox is just around the corner!

Looks more like an attempt for FUD to me. Do you work for FOX? You're good at this.

You just totally changed it with one simple line.

From "Here's what the candidate for CEO of MS could do according to me" to "CEO of MS decides to kill xbox"

Who will you hate and bitch and complain about when MS are gone?

There's always Nintendo.

If the candidate CEO of MS wants to get rid of Xbox....

Feeling sorry for lems.

Lol, Cows cowing early this morning. Wild speculation and an ending to the article that selling Xbox isn't likely. :) Have at it over speculation again. Its what Cows do :)

Stop crying shawn

MS didn't exist (in console gaming) until Sega left.....always someone else around. That said....I like competition as well. But if the division isn't profitable....it isn't likely to last much longer anyway.

I love Nintendo! I love Valve! I love Sony! I might buy all three :)

OWWWWWWWWWW, engadget confirms the news too.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/08/rumor-elop-could-sell-off-xbox-and-kill-bing/

DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!

Xbox will never get 'dumped'. It's worth billions. They're talking about spinning it off; making it its own company rather than a part of Microsoft, or selling it to another group.

So sony and ms both not making money from games division I don't know who is

For a 40% boost to income I'd do it also, that's more than what Sony makes in 10 years LOL

But if that did happen most XB fans would probably go to the Steambox.

@Ninja-Hippo: Yep, the investor thinks having the Xbox brand with Microsoft is hurting them. So making them a separate company will have Microsoft stay focus where they're good at, and that's Enterprise. The Xbox division will be there own, but will still be owned partially by Microsoft.

@TheRealBigRich: Nintendo of course

LMFAO! Worth billions in losses.

The PC industry is in decline and struggling? What?

It would be interesting to see who purchases the Xbox brand. It would be great to keep that brand around while getting rid of Microsoft.

Windows is dying, they only 90% of the market share for OS now :(

only the upset camp wants things like this to happen,such no life sad individuals lol.

Man, consoles would be so bad if that happens. Sony is incapable of coming up with their own ideas and Nintendo is barely getting to 2004.

Never going to happen - but - a Sega-Sammy buyout would be sweet.

They could sell it, but that doesn't mean the console and its game would cease to exist.

Rumor? Can you not even read the link title? Lol, this is why no one takes anything you say seriously.

Edit the title. He is not the CEO. This is just straight trolling.

Elops is not the first person to suggest MS selling the Xbox brand and he won't be the last. Investors have been calling for them to stop their hardware and especially Xbox because it doesn't make MS any more. They lose money.

Killing Bing would be the best shit ever but less competition in consoles would be really bad. Now if Xbox is bought by something like Panasonic/Samsung/Sega, THAT would be tight.

LMAO

Bout time the P.O.S cancerous Xbox brand dies. All they've tried to do is kill gaming one stupid idea at a time

Blame MS for dude bro's, DLC, "content", DRM, Kinect, bonaire etc

Yes, to celebrate the launch of XBox One. I'll have a glass thank you. LOL!!

Microsoft will never hire Stephen Elop. They are never going to kill off the XBox.

CEO and Investors at Sony were thinking the same thing about Playstation and Sony said "NO." lol!!

"bu bu i'm not a cow", so how does MS effect you that you'd celebrate them leaving the industry?.

*Toasts glass* Cheers mate lol.

For a 40% increase It sounds appealing, that 40% increase in revenue is more than Sony can make in 20 years, but considering a new console is launching in a few weeks I take this with a grain of salt.

I hope lems are smart enough to watch this very closely. I personally would hate to spend $500 for a console just to watch it get killed off less than a year later. Not saying it will happen, but I would be damned if I was a lem and didn't keep an eye on this. As a person buying a PS4 at some point, I wouldn't like hearing this news about Sony and would be second guessing my purchase.

You're even a bigger cow than anyone would have thought. You have any idea what less competition would do to the console market? Don't be such a fool cow. MS being has forced Sony to clean up it's act which is why the PS4 is what it is.

Cows are so lame.

There's fire where there is smoke.

NEVER?

No more crying Shawn, its okay.

lol shawn, stop the tears

It won't. Microsoft has already invested way to much money into the XBox hardware/software, marketing and the brand to just kill it off. After 10yrs they may look at it and maybe sell it, but it won't happen anytime soon.

Sony needs to watch their stocks and spending. They lost over $5 billion on the PS3 and will lose millions with the Ps4 right out of the gate. They've already spent billions on R&D and marketing for the PS4. They didn't make any profit off the PS3 either. They better hope their Electronic and Movie divisions do well in 2014 & 2015. They can't afford to sell anymore assets.

Yup. I want them to focus on PC games lol They made some of the best before XBox gave them ADD.