Microsoft: Bill Gates non grata

It is no longer welcome at home. Three of the top twenty shareholders of Microsoft advocate on the board of directors of the group that Bill Gates stepped down as chairman of the company he co-founded there 38 years, according to sources familiar with the matter. If the CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, has always been under pressure from shareholders to improve performance and the market price of the company, this is the first time, it seems that large shareholders to take Target Bill Gates, who remains one of the most respected and influential in the field of information technology figures. These three shareholders together represent more than 5% stake in the group, according to the same sources who wish to remain anonymous and protect the identity of the investors.

Bill Gates has about turn 4 5% of the group’s shares to $ 277 billion market capitalization, which is the first individual shareholder. The three shareholders believe that the presence of Bill Gates on the board blocking the adoption of new strategies and will not let the next CEO elbow room to breathe real change. Steve Ballmer announced the end of August next retirement after thirteen years at the helm of a number of software.

disproportionate powers?

The trio also finds that the powers of Bill Gates, who spends most of his time to his philanthropic foundation, be disproportionate to its shareholder position, which should reduce over the years. Microsoft founder, who owned 49% of shares in the company before its IPO in 1986, sells about 80 million Microsoft shares each year under a prearranged plan. At this rate, it will have more shares of the company in 2018.

The group is seeking a new CEO to replace Steve Ballmer, whose strategy of transforming the company into a present both in hardware (tablet surface, Xbox) and Internet services group is not formally questioned. But some shareholders believe that the next DG will not be required to implement this strategy. Proponents of a renewal argue that the course of Microsoft stock has been stagnant for a decade and the company has lost ground to Apple and Google in the transition to mobile computing.