News says Microsoft's 3 major shareholders pressured board to ask Gates to resign

Gates Sina Science and technology news in Beijing October 2 morning, Reuters quoted sources said that 3 of Microsoft's top 20 investors are lobbying Microsoft's board, asking Bill Gates to step down as Microsoft Chairman. Gates founded Microsoft 38 ago. Over the years, Microsoft CEO Ballmer Steve Ballmer has been under pressure from investors to improve Microsoft's performance and push up share prices. But Gates was the first to target investors. Gates is still one of the most respected and influential figures in the technology industry. A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to comment on the news in Tuesday. Sources said there was no indication that the Microsoft Board would consider the views of the 3 shareholders, who had a total stake of more than 5%. Gates currently holds 4.5% of Microsoft's shares and is Microsoft's biggest individual shareholder. Microsoft's current market capitalisation is about $277 billion trillion. The 3 shareholders believe that Mr Gates's chairmanship will hamper Microsoft's acceptance of the new strategy, limiting the ability of the next CEO to push for change. They mention in particular the role of Gates in the Special committee responsible for finding Mr. Ballmer's successor. Gates is spending most of his time in philanthropy. Investors are concerned that he still has a disproportionate share of the stake, as Mr Gates's holdings fall. Gates held 49% of Microsoft's shares before the launch of Microsoft in 1986. According to a previous plan, Gates sold 80 million shares of Microsoft every year. If the plan continues, gates will no longer hold Microsoft shares by 2018. In 2000, Gates handed over Microsoft CEO to Ballmer, then reduced his intervention in Microsoft business. He no longer participates in Microsoft's day-to-day operations in 2008, focusing on the 38 billion-dollar Bill and Melinda Melinda Foundation. This August, Mr Ballmer said he would retire within the next 12 months. Earlier, ValueAct Capital Management company Pressure Microsoft, request Ballmer to step down. Microsoft is looking for the new CEO. But the company's board said Ballmer's strategic future would still be implemented. Microsoft will focus on developing devices, such as surface tablets and Xbox game consoles, and transform key software into services delivered over the Internet. But some investors believe that Microsoft should not be limited by the company's strategy. Microsoft is still one of the world's most valuable technology companies, with a net profit of $22 billion trillion in the previous fiscal year. However, its core reregistering systems and office software are under pressure as users move from PCs to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Microsoft's share price has barely changed in the past 10 years. Under the trend of rapid development of mobile computing, Microsoft is losing its competitive edge to Apple and Google. A source said Gates was one of the best pioneers in the technology industry, but investors thought he would be more efficient as CEO than as chairman.