Ballmer's friendship with Gates is broken by hardware business

Tencent Technology, March 6, compiled one months ago to replace Ballmer (Steve Ballmer) as Microsoft's new chief Executive Satia Nadra (Satya Nadella) has begun to play on the software giant's own brand. In the process, however, Nadra will also have to contend with Microsoft's internal debate over the company's strategic direction and his own style of dealing with Ballmer. Nadra announced on Monday that Microsoft executives Tony Betz Tony Bates and Tami Lelles (Tami Reller) would leave the company, the first adjustment to the company's management since Nadra was named Microsoft's CEO. He then appointed former executive vice president Payne for advertising and strategy, Mark Penn, as chief strategist. Over the past few years, Microsoft has been a rival to rivals Apple and Google in its foray into the internet and mobile devices, and Nadra is looking for ways to restructure the software giant, which has lost momentum to its main business. Prior to that, whether to enter the hardware business has become a cross between Ballmer and Microsoft's Board of the most serious differences, and Nadra will exert their influence to continue to push Microsoft to the hardware business. Some of Microsoft's directors were dissatisfied with him as early as last August when Mr. Ballmer announced his exit plan, and began to study what steps could be taken to get Mr Ballmer to resign, including the hiring of Ford Motor CEO Alain Murali, whom Mr. Ballmer admired, he said. Mulally to succeed Microsoft CEO. However, in an interview with The Associated Press, Mulally said he would work at least until the end of the year at Ford, denying rumours that he would run away from Microsoft. Acquisition of Nokia as a fuse another source said Mr. Ballmer had been furious at Microsoft's board last June and that his relationship with the board had fallen to freezing. The fuse that led to tensions between the two sides was Mr Ballmer's offer to buy the Nokia hardware department and long-standing disagreements over Microsoft's positioning. Should Microsoft be a software company or a hardware company? At the time, Bill Gates, the director and chairman of Microsoft's Board of directors, initially did not support Microsoft's foray into the smartphone hardware business, according to the insider. At the time, Nadra, who was in charge of managing cloud computing and business operations at Microsoft, initially disagreed, but later changed his mind. In an e-mail statement released yesterday, Nadra said: Nokia has moved the concept of mobile to the hardware, software, design, global supply chain, and so on, so that people have a deeper understanding of the mobile market. And that's where Microsoft is heading. Mr Penn's appointment as chief strategist is a sign that Microsoft will take a positive approach to marketing and public relations, and Penn is known for its anti-Google site, don t get scroogled! activity. ThisA campaign aimed at keeping consumers wary of Google's use of personal information. Bates was a direct opponent of Microsoft, who competed with Barnard to succeed Ballmer. Dawn Beauparlant, a spokeswoman for Microsoft, Doun Boplant with the board, said Mr. Ballmer declined to comment. However, Mr. Ballmer will still be a Microsoft director with gates. Although Gates resigned as chairman, he began to serve as Nadra's technical advisor. John Thompson, Thompson, took over the post of President Gates. Thompson, Gates and Barnard both refused to be interviewed by the media. Mr. Ballmer's angry roar was heard from outside the boardroom at the Microsoft board meeting last June, according to sources. At the time, Ballmer had just learned that the board did not support his plan to buy two of Nokia's businesses. But Mr Ballmer soon got his wish, as Microsoft's board eventually agreed to buy Nokia's handset business at a price of 7.2 billion dollars. However, there had been a rift between the two sides. At the time, concerns about the direction of Microsoft's development had been going on for months. For some Microsoft directors, the problem has shifted to whether Ballmer should continue to lead Microsoft, according to insiders. Ballmer's authority challenged the insider said the Microsoft board was dissatisfied with Mr Ballmer's disapproval. For some of the directors, Mr. Ballmer's own reaction to the board's failure to endorse the Nokia decision was the most immediate reason for his departure. Microsoft's board at first rejected the offer to buy Nokia on the basis that the transaction was too expensive and the process too complex, because neither the handset business nor the map business was needed by Microsoft. In a report released yesterday, Fitch Fitch said that even if the map business was not included, Microsoft's bid for Nokia's handset business was too generous because the number of users of Microsoft's Windows phones was declining.