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Oracle brass past and present tapped for Microsoft CEO - report

Gates working down list of eight outsiders to fill Ballmer's hot seat

Two Oracle execs past and present have joined the list of top industry chiefs who’ve been approached to become the next Steve Ballmer.

The software giant’s current hardware chief and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd has joined a a list reported by the Wall St Journal of eight Redmond outsiders approached by a Microsoft power committee to find a new company big boss.

The Microsoft board committee comprises Microsoft alumni including long-standing chairman Bill Gates.

Hurd is reported to have turned down the opportunity to run Microsoft, preferring to stay with Oracle.

Former Oracle co-president Charles Phillips is also reported to have been approached. Hurd was recruited by Oracle in 2010 as president on the resignation of Phillips, a company co-president, following a personal scandal. Phillips is now CEO of ERP maker Infor.

Also on the list of potential outside picks is Paul Maritz – the former Microsoft executive who was VMware CEO until August 2012 and is now chief executive of GoPivotal.

The journal re-treads the already-reported name of Ford Motor Co CEO Alan Mulally.

Also being considered is Nokia CEO Stephen Elop – an outsider marked to become an insider once Microsoft’s acquisition is completed.

At least two Microsoft executives have been approached by the committee, these are reported to be server and tools president Sataya Nadella and formed Skype chief now executive vice president-business development and evangelism Tony Bates.

Like Elop, Nadella featured on The Reg's pick of 14 possible people to succeed Ballmer, thanks to his credentials running the highly successful server and tools business and his status as an insider. The Reg continues to feel, however, Nadella would still be marked down by a perceived lack of experience running a whole company. ®

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