New faces enter Microsoft chief executive race
Former Intel man and now-VMware boss Gelsinger and Qualcomm's COO Mollenkopf rumoured to be in with a chance
VMware boss Pat Gelsinger and Qualcomm's chief operating officer Steve Mollenkopf are the latest tech leaders linked with the chief executive job at Microsoft.
Since Steve Ballmer announced his imminent retirement back in the summer, Skype boss Tony Bates, Nokia leader Stephen Elop and another unnamed exec had been linked to the job, but Microsoft cloud and enterprise head Satya Nadella and Ford boss Alan Mullally emerged as the frontrunners.
However, in recent weeks, Ford's insistence that its chief executive will stay on at the firm throughout next year cast the theory into doubt and just this week, reports emerged suggesting Mulally was being placed under pressure from his employer to confirm his plans.
Along with the other five rumoured contenders, VMware boss Pat Gelsinger's name was today thrown into the ring, along with wireless giant Qualcomm's chief operating officer Steve Mollenkopf.
Gelsinger (pictured) was mooted by Wall Street Journal blog AllThingsD, which cited his long-term leadership of Intel as a potential key benefit for Microsoft. Seeking Alpha analysts also backed the VMware man and went so far as to suggest a Wintel merger could be on the cards should he get the top job.
According to Bloomberg reports this morning, Gelsinger is not alone in being linked with the top Microsoft job, as according to its sources, Qualcomm chief operating officer Steve Mollenkopf is also in talks with the software giant.
It remains unclear whether Mollenkopf is the unnamed source initially linked with the job or if he is a new consideration, but Bloomberg said its sources claimed he is under "serious consideration".
UPDATED: Just hours after rumours emerged linking Mollenkopf to the Microsoft role, Qualcomm put an end to the speculation and announced his appointment to the role of chief executive. The move will be effective from March next year, and current Qualcomm boss Paul Jacobs will then assume the role of executive chairman as Mollenkopf takes over the reins as CEO.