The rich often do get richer, but in Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer’s case, he could be $670,000 richer if mobile weren’t such a sore spot for the company.
It turns out Ballmer was eligible to receive up to 200% of his base salary in bonuses this year, but he only got half of that. Of course, he still effectively doubled his annual take home, but when there’s that many zeros involved it must sting a little to think about what could have been.
In an SEC filing picked up by CNET, Microsoft’s board cited “the unsuccessful launch of the Kin phone” and “loss of market share in the company’s mobile-phone business” for its decision to not award Ballmer a full bonus well into seven figures.
However, Microsoft’s $24.1 billion operating income and the launch of Windows 7, Office 2010 and Bing were all cited as positives for the CEO.
Microsoft surely has some catching up to do on the mobile front. Much will be riding on its soon-to-launch Windows Phone 7 operating system and its ability to “pursue innovations to take advantage of new form factors,” as lamented by the board.
Microsoft CEO's bonus halved over mobile woes
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