Ford CEO Won't Replace Ballmer; Microsoft's Search Continues

Microsoft is inching closer to naming a new CEO to replace Steve Ballmer, but one top candidate has removed himself from consideration. After months of speculation, Ford CEO Alan Mulally told the Associated Press Tuesday that he would not be leaving his position to join Microsoft. "I would like to end the Microsoft speculation because I have no other plans to do anything other than serve Ford," he told the publication. See also: Microsoft in 2014: Reboot or Game Over? Despite his background outside the technology industry, Mulally's tenure at Ford has earned him a reputation as being effective in turning around a business. Some investors and analysts had hoped he might bring that expertise to Microsoft, which has ceded ground in recent years to competitors like Apple.