Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and chief executive Steve Ballmer have finally entered the millionaire's club.
Although the duo have long been billionaires, last year they both cracked the $1m (£600,000) annual-pay threshold, up from about $900,000 in total pay the prior year. For fiscal 2005, Gates and Ballmer each received a $600,000 salary and $400,000 in bonus pay.
"The compensation of Messrs. Ballmer and Gates reflects their status as significant shareholders of the company," Microsoft said in its annual proxy filling on Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "Their salaries are significantly below competitive levels elsewhere in the information technology industry and large market capitalisation US companies, and they do not participate in the company's equity compensation program."
The pair's pay is actually less than at least two of their subordinates. Jeff Raikes, who heads the unit that includes Microsoft Office, received $1.15m in salary and bonus in fiscal 2005, while former sales chief Kevin Johnson received $1.05m in salary and bonus.
Last week, as part of a massive reorganisation, Johnson was promoted to co-president of the unit that includes Windows, sharing duties with Jim Allchin, who plans to retire at the end of next year. Allchin received $1m in salary and bonus.
For the coming year, the top executives will all get raises in their base salary. Gates and Ballmer will get a base pay of $620,000, while Johnson, Raikes and Allchin will earn $600,000, according to a separate SEC filling also made on Wednesday.
Gates recently topped Forbes' latest list of the wealthiest people in the United States.
Talkback
Yeah right !
It is as usuall. Microsoft stock have gone slowly down the rescent years. Several areas in Microsoft goes whith losses. Such as the Xbox area. MSN is way behind google and so on.
Competence flees from Microsofts byrocratic atmosphere. As some of the emplyees say "Microsoft can't delever software anymore"
Everyone i have talked to in the industry rejects the upcoming Vista OS and several newpapers / blogs and so on do the thumb down for it.
So the stock will continue to fall below the 20$ mark and it will go even furhter down if they not take there customers for serious.
And still they got a raise......yeaaaaaaaaaa