Company's earnings beat Wall Street's expectations but CEO guessing game about Steve Ballmer replacement continues. January 23, 2014 1:07 PM PST Microsoft retail store in Toronto. (Credit: Getty Images) This may turn out to be the first earnings report where Microsoft's actual financial results are a sideshow to the main event. Microsoft reported fiscal second-quarter results on Thursday that were better than expected. Wall Street had expected revenue of $23.7 billion with a profit of 68 cents a share. The company had sales of $24.5 billion and 78 cents per share. But the bigger news -- who will replace Steve Ballmer as the company's next chief executive? - remains in the realm of a press release, at least for the foreseeable future. The company had nothing to say in its earnings statement about progress in its search for a new CEO, which began after Ballmer last August announced his intentions to step down sometime within the following 12 months. For what it's worth, I'm again hearing rumblings that an announcement may be in the offing - perhaps as early as next week - but we've been heard that before so take that one with the proverbial grain of salt. Related stories Bill Gates: I assume my phone's not being tapped Steve Jobs' perfect pitch: The Macintosh launch Office Web Apps can now run commands for you Nokia Lumia sales fall to 8.2M in woebegone end to 2013 Dell's Surface Pro 2 rival appears at Microsoft Store More to follow:
Company's earnings beat Wall Street's expectations but CEO guessing game about Steve Ballmer replacement continues.
Microsoft retail store in Toronto.
(Credit: Getty Images)
This may turn out to be the first earnings report where Microsoft's actual financial results are a sideshow to the main event.
Microsoft reported fiscal second-quarter results on Thursday that were better than expected. Wall Street had expected revenue of $23.7 billion with a profit of 68 cents a share. The company had sales of $24.5 billion and 78 cents per share.
But the bigger news -- who will replace Steve Ballmer as the company's next chief executive? - remains in the realm of a press release, at least for the foreseeable future. The company had nothing to say in its earnings statement about progress in its search for a new CEO, which began after Ballmer last August announced his intentions to step down sometime within the following 12 months. For what it's worth, I'm again hearing rumblings that an announcement may be in the offing - perhaps as early as next week - but we've been heard that before so take that one with the proverbial grain of salt.
Related stories
- Bill Gates: I assume my phone's not being tapped
- Steve Jobs' perfect pitch: The Macintosh launch
- Office Web Apps can now run commands for you
- Nokia Lumia sales fall to 8.2M in woebegone end to 2013
- Dell's Surface Pro 2 rival appears at Microsoft Store
More to follow:
