???微軟（Microsoft）共同創始人比爾?蓋茨從公司創立到1999年期間一直是公司的領導者。此后，史蒂夫?鮑爾默這位微軟的第30名員工接管了被這家現在擁有9.4萬多名員工的公司，成為它的CEO。這家世界上最重要的公司之一在它富有傳奇色彩的歷史上只接受過兩個人的領導（期間得到過共同創始人保羅?艾倫的協助）。這是一筆厚重的歷史遺產。

????今年對微軟來說或許是最為重要的一年，該公司發布了新版的主流操作系統和新的平板電腦。56歲的史蒂夫?鮑爾默似乎不會馬上離職。不過，誰最終將接替他呢？下面是三個可能的人選：

????Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates led the company from its inception through 1999. After that, Steve Ballmer, the 30th employee hired by a company that now has over 94,000, took over as CEO. Over the course of its storied history, one of the most important companies in the world has -- with help from co-founder Paul Allen -- been led by just two men. That's a lot of legacy.

????This year may be one of the company's most significant ever. It is releasing a new version of its mainline operating system alongside new tablets. Steve Ballmer, 56, doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Still, who might replace him eventually? Here are three possibilities: