Why the obsession with Execs?
given these "leaders" take home 10x if not 100x of the pay of those below them who actually think up the strategies and execute what does it matter if there's some loss along the way as Ballmer drags some others into his wake.
it might be the changes for some fresh blood - either promoted internally or lured in from outside - to help MS redefine it's path forward for the next wave.
while the Skype acquisition hasn't exactly been good for the users (or the Lync and Messenger teams) it did bring Tony Bates with it, who at least seems capable
the Board should look at the ROI and question where their "I" is better spent to improve the "R". Just curious... at what level does Stack Ranking and for Forced (out) curve stop? perhaps if it went all the way to the top they wouldn't have to worry about retention bonuses for the {cream|scum} that floats to the top because they'd be living in the same fear of under-performing (or being seen to be under-performing by not "manging visibility" well enough) that their minions have as a daily reality