Microsoft is on the hunt for a new CEO as Steve Ballmer is on his way out. The company has yet to pinpoint the perfect person for the job, but according to Kara Swisher at AllThingsD, Microsoft may just opt for current Ford CEO, Allan Mulally.

Swisher claims that the Microsoft board of directors is hoping to reach a decision by the end of the year, though it is not certain how soon thereafter the new CEO would be appointed.

Although Mulally is the leading candidate to take over as CEO at Microsoft, the board is said to be considering giving him the role of CEO caretaker. This means he would work to train his eventual successor because all the candidates available right now does not have an extensive experience to run a large company like Microsoft, claims Swisher. The potential candidates in the running right now are Microsoft Executive Vice President (Cloud and Enterprise group) Satya Nadella, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner, Microsoft Executive Vice President (Business Development, Strategy and Evangelism) Tony Bates, and ex-Nokia CEO Stephen Elop.

The reasoning behind making Mulally CEO caretaker could be due to his age. Mulally is now 68, so it is possible the board might not consider him to run the company for the long term. However, with his experience, he could teach the next CEO several things on how to run Microsoft for the next decade or more.

Mulally doesn't have the vision for computers or where to take a company that relies much on the computer industry. However, he doesn't have to be.  He successfully led Ford through the recession of 2008 without a federal bailout. In addition, he spent 37 years working at Boeing before becoming the lead man at Ford. What we are seeing here is a man with years of experience and who also has strong ties with Microsoft.

If you weren't aware, several Ford cars are integrated with the Windows-based Ford sync software.

Even Steve Ballmer himself once praised Mulally for "understanding the fundamentals of business success as well as any business leader I know." With that said, it is clear who might truly become the next CEO, and if he Mulally does take the reigns, time will tell if he capable of turning Microsoft around into the right direction.