Microsoft board of directors recommend Gates, Ballmer for re-election

Shawn Knight

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microsoft gates ballmer bill gates steve ballmer board of directors

Microsoft co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates and outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer are both up for re-election to the company’s board of directors according to a recent proxy filing. It’s a situation that normally wouldn’t be newsworthy but the stakes have changed in recent months as activist investors have been calling for new leadership to help Microsoft better compete in the mobile industry.

Earlier this month, three of Microsoft’s top 20 investors reportedly urged Bill Gates to step down as Chairman. They believe the amount of power he has over the board is too high compared to the amount of shares he owns and that he might have a negative impact on selecting the next company CEO.

Company shareholders will convene on November 19 to vote on the new board of directors. Fortunately for Gates and Ballmer, the board has recommended they both be re-elected to their current positions. Furthermore, the two will likely have some power at the company as Gates is the single largest shareholder with 4.52 percent of the company’s stock while Ballmer holds 3.99 percent.

All other board members own less than one percent of the company although investment firm BlackRock owns 5.57 percent - still less than the 8.51 percent Gates and Ballmer own together.

Ballmer announced plans to retire as CEO back in August but will stay on until a replacement is found. A special committee was created and is actively seeking his successor. At last check, Ford chief Alan Mulally was said to be the frontrunner for the job.

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Ungrateful pricks.

If not for gates there would be no microsoft.

I think gates should create a vote to have those 3 to be paid out for their shares and to GTFO.
You know, as of a while ago, I think I could live without microsoft.

I dont have a problem with gates, nor do I particularly have any respect towards the way he manages the company (his foundation is great)....I am not sure how much he is pulling the strings concerning things like xbox 1 and windows 8.
 
I dont have a problem with gates, nor do I particularly have any respect towards the way he manages the company (his foundation is great)....I am not sure how much he is pulling the strings concerning things like xbox 1 and windows 8.

You're comment is missing the most critical part, which is the reason WHY you don't respect him in regards to his position at MS? Although it can't be that good of a reason, if you don't know his involvement with Microsoft's current products and services, which to me, negates your comment in its entirety.
 
You're comment is missing the most critical part, which is the reason WHY you don't respect him in regards to his position at MS? Although it can't be that good of a reason, if you don't know his involvement with Microsoft's current products and services, which to me, negates your comment in its entirety.
The first part of that statement should be read again-I have no positive or negative feelings attributed with him. Theres a difference between not respecting someone and disrespecting someone (well, the definition I use anyway.)

I dont think anyone knows for absolute certain what Gates' involvement with current goings on is, regardless of what they think. The investors likely know more than me, true, but I think I would say Gates isnt the primary concern with the company.
 
The first part of that statement should be read again-I have no positive or negative feelings attributed with him. Theres a difference between not respecting someone and disrespecting someone (well, the definition I use anyway.)

I dont think anyone knows for absolute certain what Gates' involvement with current goings on is, regardless of what they think. The investors likely know more than me, true, but I think I would say Gates isnt the primary concern with the company.

Okay, well then tell me about his involvement BEFORE XB1 and W8, and give me something other than, "I don't thinks", or "I'm not sure's".

Vague comments annoy me, I can't help it.
 
'bill gates and steve ballmer' is one good team. they got 'money' and 'balls' between their names.:D
 
Okay, well then tell me about his involvement BEFORE XB1 and W8, and give me something other than, "I don't thinks", or "I'm not sure's".

Vague comments annoy me, I can't help it.
The point im trying to say is people have a tendency to jump and point fingers at Gates simply because he started the company, even though he stepped down from CEO in 2000. Its not like Gates singlehandedly came up with (or even had much of a say in) windows vista, or windows 8 metro, or any of the other things people like to hate.
 
The point im trying to say is people have a tendency to jump and point fingers at Gates simply because he started the company, even though he stepped down from CEO in 2000. Its not like Gates singlehandedly came up with (or even had much of a say in) windows vista, or windows 8 metro, or any of the other things people like to hate.

Now I'm even more confused.
Your original comment was full of "I's" (YOUR thoughts and statements), and this one is the total opposite (OTHER peoples' thoughts and statements). I'm going to think of you as the flip flopper from now on.
*sigh*
 
Now I'm even more confused.
Your original comment was full of "I's" (YOUR thoughts and statements), and this one is the total opposite (OTHER peoples' thoughts and statements). I'm going to think of you as the flip flopper from now on.
*sigh*
Welp, you're the one that whined I had to many of my own opinions in there, so I tried dumbing it down to your level.

Go troll elsewhere.
 
I am no respecter of persons. I don't care if it was Bill Gates, Mike Ballmer, or Peter Pan. If your dumb *** thought Windows 8 on a desktop was a good idea, you need to be fired, immediately.
 
Lol you guys are funny. I feel that Microsoft's development is like Neil Young's quote:
"If you chase too many dreams, you may get lost"

They obviously regressed on desktop/laptop OS with Windows 8, and even Nokia publicly is frustrated with their "lack of development" for their Windows Mobile OS. On a tablet level, they definitely don't have the surface right either. With XBox, they aren't following what gamers are looking for, but then reverted and conformed

They're obviously...lost
 
The bottom line is "Give the ******* customer what the ******* customer wants!!!!". Cigarettes kill. But you don't hear the tobaccos companys saying, "We know what best for our customers so were going to give them this instead of this even though its not what they want.". You know how you run a successful business? Give the customer what the customer wants. Give them what they demand. And I demand not only that Windows 9(please rename the next major release, the stench attached to Windows 8 has become too much to overcome) return to treating the desktop user as King. And If I want 72 open windows at once I better be able to keep 72 windows open at once. None of this 2 app, split-screen ******. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing Windows 9 expand on Windows 7 snap functionality and offering to snap into triple and quadruple windows.
Microsoft can become king of the desktop again if they stop burying their head in the sand like an ostrich and face the facts. Windows 8 is a catastrophe. It isn't wanted by 50% (my best guess but probably much higher) of the existing Windows XP/7 customer base as evidence by the 70%+ existing marketshare of these installed operating systems. How can they live with that statistic? That is just awful.

Or take the damn time to release two versions of Windows 9. Windows 9 Desktop, Windows 9 for chimpanzees, oops, I mean tablets/cellphones. Everyone is happy. Everyone goes to bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. Putting the lipstick on the pig and releasing Windows 8.1 fooled a few chimps but it ain't going on my desktop, sorry.

And I want a public official apology for perpetrating the fraud of the century on the most loyal consumer base in the world. I want a declaration from the company that states they now realize what a foul-up Windows 8 is and that they will not treat desktop users and tablet users as the same type of consumer. They are not.
 
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