Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer both got slight raises last year, but their overall compensation fell as Microsoft Corp.'s top executives received smaller bonuses.
Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and chairman, and Ballmer, the company's chief executive, each received $616,667 (euro486,177) in salary and a $350,000 (euro275,938) bonus for Microsoft's fiscal year that ended June 30. In the previous fiscal year, the two executives received a salary of $600,000 (euro473,037) and a bonus of $400,000 (euro315,358).
Ballmer's total compensation, including matching contributions in the company-sponsored retirement plan and flexible benefits, was $976,149 (euro769,591), down from $1,009,073 (euro795,548) for Microsoft's fiscal year ended June 30, 2005.
Gates' total compensation was $968,779 (euro763,780), compared with $1,002,469 (euro790,341) 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 (euro41.8 billion). Ballmer ranks 15th at an estimated $13.6 billion (euro10.7 billion).
