>Eric is still at Microsoft as Senior Vice President, Technical Strategy, but he's lost some luster since Bill left. He was one of Bill's guys.
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>Eric and Bill are both tech guys. Ballmer is a sales guy and the board typically likes the CEO to be a sales guy. I don't see them making Eric the next CEO.
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>>One of the names mentioned has been Eric Rudder's. I sat next to him for three days at an event in Redmond before VFP 3 was launched, a project he led. He played Minesweeper like a demon without missing a thing. He reported directly to Bill Gates in a group of about five. Maybe he is gone now.

Something I have noticed over the years is that, when the sales department begins have authority, the company begins to slip to a lower position in the market place.