Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer's successor "must be the right person at the right time," said chairman Bill Gates during an annual shareholder meeting Tuesday.
Roughly three months after Ballmer's well-publicized retirement, Microsoft Corp. has been on the move in finding the next most suitable person for his place.
The search committee is led by John Thompson, lead independent director and former IBM executive.
The list of promising candidates initially consists of more than three dozen names but was eventually narrowed down to five people.
Gates, who also happens to be a part of the four-man committee that searches for Ballmer's replacement, said that he was very happy with the company's progress in finding the new CEO, however, he admits that choosing Microsoft's next chief executive is a bit complicated especially now that the company aims to reinvent itself as a mobile computing power.
"We've been doing a lot of meetings with both internal and external candidates and we're pleased with the progress," said Gates at Microsoft's annual shareholder meeting in Bellevue, Washington. "We're looking at a number of candidates and I'm not going to give a timeline today."
He added, "It's a complex role to fill - a lot of different skills, experience and capabilities that we need. It's a complex global business the new CEO will have to lead. The person has to have a lot of comfort in leading a highly technical organization and have an ability to work with our top technical talent to seize the opportunities."
During his speech, the world's richest person paused for a moment and blocked his emotion after expressing gratitude to Ballmer for his dedication in the company, saying that both of them are dedicated "to make sure the next CEO is the right person, for the right time, for the company we both love."
