With Steve Ballmer soon to depart the hallowed halls of Redmond, the board are looking for a replacement CEO. Well, Here’s my open application for the role, with a three point action plan to help Microsoft become the company it should be.

“Hold up! I thought you were Apple only?” Not. At. All. Read this clarification of my perceived bias and come back to this article if the following statement isn’t enough:

Put simply, I’m a technologist, I love all of it and I use what fits in my life best.

That should be Microsoft.

Why should it be Microsoft? For the last 20 years there have been few companies as ubiquitous with technology as Microsoft. The innovation inside the company bursts through to create some products that have become a part of our digital lives. The Windows operating system, The Xbox games consoles and at one point, everyone used Hotmail email and MSN chat.

Where Microsoft has followed and not lead, has historically been where the failures lie. Zune, Kin, to an extent Bing and Windows 8 RT. The choice to follow, rather and develop what people come to rely up on, as they did with Windows, Office and countless server solutions that run ‘The Cloud’, has meant that the true innovation is hit by the failures of other products.

Microsoft have the potential to not only regain a position of positive prominence but they could really shake up the eco system war. Remember;

• They have a full provision of server technology to back up any services they want to build
• They have the experience in productivity software no other company can compete with
• They have a global reach in the gaming industry
• The have content deals for Music, TV and Film that should make cable companies worry

With that said, here’s my pitch to the board of Microsoft.

 

Dear Microsoft Board

I would like to formally submit my application for the role of Microsoft CEO.

For a moment I’d like you to consider the fact that for all I do not currently run a global technology firm, I feel that what Microsoft truly needs to be come the company it deserves to be, it needs to take a chance.

I am hugely passionate about technology and have been a user of Microsoft products for as long as I can remember. I remember the delight that was felt with the discoveries of each new Microsoft and it saddens me that I can no longer feel this. As a company, Microsoft are in a unique position to bring seamless services and products to the world and build a connected planet beyond the comprehension of what is achievable today.

How, can I deliver this? How would we achieve this? We will need to work smarter, not harder. We will need to be focused and we, will need to be just like Tron and fight for the user. The CEO’s focus should be on driving the company forward and having a team around them that can deliver the business returns required. Guidance, support and inspiration should filter down from the top and when it does it will become amplified between all members of staff and with our users.

I have a three point action plan to build Microsoft:

1. Clearly defined business units

Unit 1 – Software and Services: Unify Office and Online services into one dedicated business. Taking the dependency away from Windows and making the best solutions for all platforms (Operating Systems and browsers) will create software and services that can be used by anyone in the world. This will build value and allow a for a firm footing on other companies platforms. People won’t just need Microsoft’s software and services, they will them.

Unit 2 – Windows One: Windows One is a name for the unification of all the Windows platforms. Windows 8 RT development will be halted and the compatibility between Windows 8 and Windows Phone will be reinforced and developed in tandem. Eventually, Windows will be one unified platform, scalable from mobile to tablet to console to desktop. Support to OEMs will be increased to help them develop the hardware consumers want, in the form factors they desire with the functionality they demand.

Unit 3 – Surface: The brand behind surface shall be expanded out in to a dedicated hardware division. High end tablets and smartphones are the first realms where Surface will build it’s popularity with core users. Manufacturing levels will not be as high as competitors, but that’s not the point. Surface tablets and phones are the ‘yard sticks’ from which OEMs can learn and develop. Pattens will be shared and engineering developments explained. If OEMs out sell us 10 to 1, we will have done well.

Unit 4 – Entertainment: Like software and services, being available on all platforms will offer a choice to consumers of where they get their entertainment. Through Apple’s walled garden, through Google’s un-curated one or from Microsoft, offering Film, TV, Music and Games on any device. The Xbox will be sold through this business unit, as it has gone from a games console to an entertainment hub.

2. Global accelerator network

The internet has shrunken our planet and connected it at the same time. Taking the skills that have facilitated Microsoft’s development and using those to help start-ups and people with great ideas to bring products to market is a responsibility of Microsoft’s. It’s also a great source of internal innovation that can be feed in to the new business units.

3. Work ethos shift

From every account of former employees I’ve read, they have all complained about the ‘Stack Assessment’ management and evaluation of staff. Constraint creates friction and thus creates the fire of creativity. Starving that fire of oxygen is what this system seems to do. Look to companies like IBM, Apple, Pixar and Valve to observe completely different management structures hat have fostered some amazing products.

Thank you for taking the time to review my application and I look forward to your feedback.

Kind regards

Mark Thomson

 

(Let’s see if I get a reply.)