Ford CEO Alan Mulally said he will remain at the helm of the Detroit-based automaker through at least the end of the year, ending speculation about his departure to Microsoft.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mulally said he wanted to end the Microsoft speculation, “because I have no other plans to do anything other than serve Ford.” When asked whether this means investors should stop worrying about his exit, Mulally said: “You don't have to worry about me leaving.”
However, the executive didn’t say if he had talked with representatives of the tech giant, headquartered in his home state of Washington. Mulally is said to have become tired of repeatedly answering questions about a possible move to Microsoft and wanted to set the record straight.
Since November 2012, Ford has been saying that Mulally planned to remain CEO through at least the end of 2014 and the executive reiterated last month that there was no change in that plan.
However, Mulally's candidacy to succeed Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft attracted a lot of media attention, even overshadowing Ford’s new product launches, such as the all-new Mustang. This supposedly frustrated Ford’s board of directors, hence Mulally’s new reassuring statements.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: AP via Reuters
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