The outspoken and flamboyant Benioff "really is a tech visionary," said Forrester Research analyst Paul Hamerman. "Salesforce.com is one of the most innovative companies from a technical standpoint." In addition, "he's a great communicator," Hamerman said.

Salesforce.com, known for its array of cloud-based software, has experienced dramatic growth but its profits remain relatively small compared to revenue. That's not necessarily a knock against Benioff, given that Salesforce.com is still "investing in growth initiatives," Hamerman said.

But there are some factors going against Benioff as head of HP, namely the fact that he likely couldn't be lured by money given his already substantial net worth, Hamerman added.

Moreover, "he's had no experience with [HP's] kind of problem," Scavo said. "He's an entrepreneur. HP is the antithesis of a startup. He's good at a lot of things, but he's never been through something like this."