Pass Microsoft to consider replacing CEO

According to foreign media reports, Microsoft is said to be considering the appointment of Oracle President and former HP CEO Mark Hurd as Microsoft's CEO during the search for a new CEO.

Microsoft's current CEO, Steve Ballmer, will retire. According to the Wall Street Journal, Hurd is one of the eight external candidates Microsoft has contacted.

The name of Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford Motor Co., has recently become a possible candidate for the Microsoft CEO. It is also widely expected that Nokia's Stephen Elop will return to Microsoft after Microsoft completes the acquisition of the Nokia mobile phone unit. The Wall Street Journal also mentioned that the former co-president of Oracle Chuck Phillips was also one of the candidates. Phillips is now the leader of commercial software company Infor.

Hurd may be an interesting choice for Microsoft. Herder was the darling of Wall Street when he was CEO of HP. He is known for controlling costs at HP, although critics say he has gone too far. Hurd suddenly left HP in 2010 due to inappropriate behaviors such as sexual harassment complaints.

Later, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison hired Hurd as one of his deputies. This is an uncomfortable job. Hurd is responsible for Oracle's hardware business. Analysts said Oracle's hardware business is still in trouble because Oracle is responding to changes in the broader enterprise IT market.