Microsoft investors seek fresh leadership, want Bill Gates out as chairman

[Jos]

Three of Microsoft’s top twenty investors are reportedly pressing Bill Gates to leave his position as Chairman, claiming he wields power out of proportion to his actual shareholding at the company he co-founded 38 years ago, and that he might interfere in the selection of Ballmer's successor. In particular, they’re worried they’ll go with a Ballmer clone rather than someone who can adopt new strategies and bring in substantial changes.

Gates owned 49% of Microsoft before it went public in 1986 but has been lowering his profile at the company ever since he handed the chief executive role to Ballmer in 2000. He gave up his day-to-day work there in 2008 to focus on the foundation. Although still the largest individual shareholder, his stake currently sits at 4.5%, and under a set plan to sell 80 million Microsoft shares each year Gates will have sold his entire holding by 2018.

Microsoft is still one of the world's most valuable technology companies, reporting a net profit of $22 billion on record revenue of $73 billion during its last fiscal year. Under Ballmer’s tenure, the company has consolidated 16 businesses that do a billion dollars plus in annual revenue. But its core Windows and Office divisions are under pressure from the decline in personal computers as smartphones and tablets grow more popular.

Another concern from investors is that Microsoft shares have been essentially static for a decade, and many of them accuse the company of being too stingy in rewarding shareholders with dividend payouts.

Microsoft is currently undergoing a transformation into a devices and services company, and though the company’s board is backing this strategy, some investors say that a new CEO should not be bound by it.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/54203-microsoft-investors-seek-fresh-leadership-want-bill-gates-out-as-chairman.html

 

[lipe123]

Taken from the article: "claiming he wields power out of proportion to his actual shareholding at the company"
"Although still the largest individual shareholder"

How does that work exactly? So He has the most shares of anyone, he founded the company and they want him to take a hike?

 

[Guest]

Unless he's absolutely destroying the company, I think it looks bad to kickout the freakin founder of Microsoft
Uncle Bill is a legend, show some respect

 

[Guest]

I keep trying to think of something constructive to post but that picture just scares the ****ing **** out of me.

 

[OneSpeed]

Taken from the article: "claiming he wields power out of proportion to his actual shareholding at the company"
"Although still the largest individual shareholder"

How does that work exactly? So He has the most shares of anyone, he founded the company and they want him to take a hike?

He' the largest minority shareholder, meaning there is no other person who holds that much stock, other than himself.

 

[lawfer]

Bill is probably the only guy in tech (or any business, really) that does not deserve that kind of treatment.

 

[howzz1854]

I think it's a good idea. MS could use some new leadership. Bill Gates and Balmer are dinosaurs. they're no longer thinking outside the box anymore. they've been playing catch up since Win2K

 

[OneSpeed]

I think it's a good idea. MS could use some new leadership. Bill Gates and Balmer are dinosaurs. they're no longer thinking outside the box anymore. they've been playing catch up since Win2K

Agreed. Not thinking outside of the XBOX anymore

 

[Loukin]

Sounds like these investors want to make even more bad decisions for Microsoft.

 

[OneSpeed]

Sounds like these investors want to make even more bad decisions for Microsoft.

I don't mind Bill on the board, as long as they can all agree on moving forward and start innovating again. They need some new blood to turn this ship around. Bad decisions have been coming from the old guard, time for change.

 

[lawfer]

I think it's a good idea. MS could use some new leadership. Bill Gates and Balmer are dinosaurs. they're no longer thinking outside the box anymore. they've been playing catch up since Win2K

What does Bill have to do with the leadership of MS? He's a majority shareholder, he doesn't actively work for Microsoft. Hell, the guy works all day every day in his Foundation, he gets called up for meetings and that's it. He only steps into the MS campus when called. Capitalism my friend: investors want someone else to get the profits from the stagnant, but still hugely profitable Office and Windows. Here's a good article that tells you the nitty gritty of it all: http://www.forbes.com/sites/timwors...soft-chairman-its-about-who-gets-the-profits/

 

[cliffordcooley]

Between Gates and Balmer, I think Balmer is the one that needs to go.

 

[Jad Chaar]

I never really liked Gates, but Balmer needs to go first.

 

[OneSpeed]

I think it's a good idea. MS could use some new leadership. Bill Gates and Balmer are dinosaurs. they're no longer thinking outside the box anymore. they've been playing catch up since Win2K

What does Bill have to do with the leadership of MS? He's a majority shareholder, he doesn't actively work for Microsoft. Hell, the guy works all day every day in his Foundation, he gets called up for meetings and that's it. He only steps into the MS campus when called. Capitalism my friend: investors want someone else to get the profits from the stagnant, but still hugely profitable Office and Windows. Here's a good article that tells you the nitty gritty of it all: http://www.forbes.com/sites/timwors...soft-chairman-its-about-who-gets-the-profits/

It's just that when you want a new direction, but have Bill in the room, it's hard to make those changes without listening to him.

 

[howzz1854]

A majority share holder has a strong voice in what direction a company takes. just because you're no longer managing the day to day operation, doesn't mean you don't get to influence the company. being a chairman as oppose to to president, in fact a majority share holder chairman still holds many powers.

you can't change the company by promoting from within. you have to start looking outside and yes, think outside of the xbox.

 

[Raoul Duke]

He is the largest 'individual' shareholder at a whopping 4.5%. So for the sake of argument a group of investors hold 40% of the shares. Should Bill Gates have more influence than them? That seems to be the problem in a nutshell (at least from this article). Bill has more than 4.5% influence and the rest don't like it.

 

[howzz1854]

You don't seem to understand the corporate board structure. that 4.5% is almost equivalent to a small~mid sized company at 49%. as your company grow to a size of fortune 500, or as large as MS, your stocks dilute into many many many many many board members. not to mention the founder himself also has influence over many of the company's board members, which btw, were at one point or another appointed or brought in by him. it's hard to put a number value on THAT kind of influence.

 

[Guest]

They need to start innovating AGAIN?.. When was the last time they did? The whole company's history is basically taking someone's idea or product and putting it into their monopoly-driven supply chain, crushing competition by all means possible. Hiring cheap programmers overseas to make their software many times cheaper (and buggier) than locally developed products. Bribing civil servants to make huge government contracts of Windows sales (especially in some foreign countries). Perhaps it's innovation in Samsung's terms -- whenever those are in court, they always whine that court's decision prevents innovation. In that case, yes - Microsoft is the pioneer of this kind of innovation, when the company is founded not to make a product, but to make money, and the product is a side effect. But the problem is that the days of this approach are over, Apple-like companies are winning the charts now by actually MAKING something, and not just repacking stolen ideas and forcing sales by cheat and bribery. And that's where Microsoft is not very good at. Coming up with something original always made them a laughing stock. It's like asking a copyist to draw an original painting. Look at Windows Vista, now Windows 8 - "Let's be original! Let's do something nobody has done before!" OK, let's glue chairs to the ceiling. Original? Yes. Usable? No. Result: failure. Not entirely, we'll use our connections in government to make tax payers pay for it. I suppose that shareholders would like to put a stop to hazardous ideas like Windows Vista, Surface, Metro UI on PC, that make consumers angry and competitors happy. It's not 80's anymore, monopoly is not a feasible solution to stupidity of the management. They need someone clever in charge, for a change.

 

[OneSpeed]

They need to start innovating AGAIN?.. When was the last time they did? The whole company's history is basically taking someone's idea or product and putting it into their monopoly-driven supply chain, crushing competition by all means possible. Hiring cheap programmers overseas to make their software many times cheaper (and buggier) than locally developed products. Bribing civil servants to make huge government contracts of Windows sales (especially in some foreign countries). Perhaps it's innovation in Samsung's terms -- whenever those are in court, they always whine that court's decision prevents innovation. In that case, yes - Microsoft is the pioneer of this kind of innovation, when the company is founded not to make a product, but to make money, and the product is a side effect. But the problem is that the days of this approach are over, Apple-like companies are winning the charts now by actually MAKING something, and not just repacking stolen ideas and forcing sales by cheat and bribery. And that's where Microsoft is not very good at. Coming up with something original always made them a laughing stock. It's like asking a copyist to draw an original painting. Look at Windows Vista, now Windows 8 - "Let's be original! Let's do something nobody has done before!" OK, let's glue chairs to the ceiling. Original? Yes. Usable? No. Result: failure. Not entirely, we'll use our connections in government to make tax payers pay for it. I suppose that shareholders would like to put a stop to hazardous ideas like Windows Vista, Surface, Metro UI on PC, that make consumers angry and competitors happy. It's not 80's anymore, monopoly is not a feasible solution to stupidity of the management. They need someone clever in charge, for a change.

Wow. Taking a swipe at Samsung and Microsoft in one swoop, and then saying Apple is making something (in China). Apple whines like everyone else in court, but when MS ruled the day, that was because there was no competition. MS had to invest in Apple in the 90's to keep that company afloat to ensure some form of competition (MAC OS <9% share). What Apple has done was time it right and catch the wave that is the smartphone. Let's not forget those that have been there before them, and those who have fallen because they have not innovated and instead litigated.

MS will do fine, and as a recent article stated, Win8 has an 8% market share already, which is pulling away from the other OS'es other than MS's Win7. Also, why bribe governments when Apple can get Obama to ignore/veto a WTO ruling of unfair trade practices committed by Apple? Before you get on that high horse of Apple (stock down 40% from their high), try to understand that Apple is not better.

 

[Raoul Duke]

You don't seem to understand the corporate board structure.<snip..

Thanks for the info, I don't really have any idea of how a corporate board works

 

[dennis777]

I though this only happens in the movie that they will kick the one that started the company.

and yes what a scary image. X_X

 

[oldikes]

I though this only happens in the movie that they will kick the one that started the company.

and yes what a scary image. X_X

Steve jobs got booted. Its fairly more common than you would think.

 

[Guest]

He;s a spoiled child asswipe... and yes I met him years ago.. so it's not going on "rumors" alone... I saw him throw a tantrum.. In effect.. he was very lucky to be in the right place @ the right time.. beyond that his skills are nothing spectacular... but his poor attitude is a big negative despite that not being public knowledge as a rule thanks to his PR team.

 

[cliffordcooley]

He;s a spoiled child asswipe

Who??

 

[avoidz]

I keep trying to think of something constructive to post but that picture just scares the ****ing **** out of me.

Could be worse. He could be draped seductively over that CRT monitor wearing only a pair of Y-fronts.