CEO wish list
A few years ago Tony Bates wrote down the names of four companies he'd like to head; one of them was Skype, where he was hired as CEO in 2010. When Microsoft completes its $8.5 billion purchase of Skype, Bates, formerly of Cisco, will become part of the software giant's senior management team. Attendees were so impressed with Bates that some started talking about him as a possible successor to Steve Ballmer. No word on whether Microsoft was one of the other three names on Bates's wish list.
--S.M.
