Putting the tense speculations to rest, Silicon Valley's choice for the next Microsoft CEO is ex-Skype president Tony Bates, while other contenders Alan Mulally from Ford and cloud chief Satya Nadella remain favourites.
With the intense search for the next CEO of the software marker after Steve Ballmer retires, there have been enough speculations about who would be the next boss.
According to AllThingsD, Mulally was touted to be the frontrunner to take over as the CEO while Indian-origin Nadella was considered number two position.
However, tech leaders as well as several top Microsoft execs have Bates as their single choice to lead the company.
Sources said that Bates has all the right assets, making him 'the best candidate across all of the various criteria', while another added that he is a bold choice that would say a lot to the rest of the tech world that Microsoft is ready to engage, the report added.