The mere suggestion that Microsoft's surprising management shift was coincidental timing amid reports of a government-forced breakup brought the expected skepticism among newsgroup participants Thursday.
The massive volume of postings involving news that Bill Gates will step down as CEO, passing on the torch to longtime right-hand man Steve Ballmer, however, revealed little consensus on what it all means.
Some weren't even sure whether it meant anything at all.
"Does this change anything, except for titles?" wrote one anonymous poster on the Slashdot discussion site.
Still, few thought it was mere coincidence that the announcement came out immediately following a fresh round of speculation about US Department of Justice plans to split up the software giant.
"Maybe Gates is positioning himself so that if the DOJ breaks up MS, he can jump ship to the most profitable baby-MS, leaving Ballmer holding the bag with a less viable one," wrote another Slashdot poster.
Few seemed to doubt Ballmer's ability to do the job.
"Ballmer knows business, knows how to wheel and deal. He will schmooze with the lawyers, drag this thing on as long as he needs to until he gets a favorable settlement," noted one contributor, writing under the pseudonym "MS made me a millionaire" on a Yahoo message board.
"Gates is the genius and will still add that to the company's direction. But he is better off out of the frontline where his temper and ego cannot be exploited," the posting said.
Some posters were perplexed about Gates' motivation for stepping down.
After more than two decades at the helm of the company, the world's richest man said he would take on the job of chief software architect.
"Maybe he wants the new job because he'll get a raise," quipped one contributor on the Raging Bull stock discussion site.
