Microsoft reports slight drop in compensation for Gates, Ballmer
Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer both got slight raises last year, but their overall compensation fell as Microsoft's top executives received smaller bonuses.
Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and chairman, and Ballmer, the company's chief executive, each received $616,667 in salary and a $350,000 bonus for Microsoft's fiscal year that ended June 30. In the previous fiscal year, the two executives received a salary of $600,000 and a bonus of $400,000.
Ballmer's total compensation, including 401(k) matching contributions and flexible benefits, was $976,149, down from $1,009,073 for Microsoft's fiscal year ended June 30, 2005.
Gates' total compensation was $968,779, compared with $1,002,469 in the previous fiscal year. Gates has announced plans to scale back his Microsoft duties by mid-2008 so he can focus on his philanthropy.
Redmond-based Microsoft also disclosed in a proxy filing that Gates owned 9.73 percent of Microsoft stock, compared with 9.55 percent a year earlier. Ballmer owned 4.15 percent of Microsoft shares, compared with 3.85 percent the previous year.
Forbes magazine ranks Gates as the world's richest man, worth an estimated $53 billion. Ballmer ranks 15th at an estimated $13.6 billion.