Paul Allen's Microsoft Experience

theodp writes "Just in case Microsoft bashers don't have enough ammo, Robert X. Cringely has a couple of interesting tales in this week's column. The first explains how Bill Gates used Paul Allen's moonlighting at MITS to justify awarding himself 64% of Microsoft's stock vs. Allen's 36% (and Gates' failure to adjust the shares after he accepted a $10/hour part-time MITS job). The second heart-warming tale concerns a conversation Allen reportedly overheard late one night (as he was finishing up DOS 2.0) between Gates and Steve Ballmer discussing how to get Allen's Microsoft stock back if the Hodgkins disease Allen was battling killed him. Yikes."

Comments

Re:Question for someone knowledgable

[spiritraveller]

This would be totally legal, and 100% possible given majority voting rights.

Majority rule is not the only rule. Nor is it the most important.

Not sure where you got the idea for this, but it's very far from legal. As a majority shareholder, you have a fiduciary duty to all shareholders in how you govern the company. That means you have a legal obligation to look out for their best interests. Ripping people off is obviously not looking out for their best interests.

Also, you cannot discriminate against shareholders within a class of shares. They have to be treated as one group.

Re:Wishful thinking

[smartin]

But to believe that one lawyer in Iowa is going to bring them down, when the full weight of the U.S. Department of Justice couldn't do it, and the E.U. is still trying to do it, is wishful thinking.

Actually if i remember correctly the DOJ did bring them down, had them up against the wall and could have done anything they wanted. Then the administration changed and they were let off.

I call Bullshit

[LibertineR]

You certainly were not there. You might check out the link between Microsoft and the United Way and when it started, and how Bill and his mother were the driving force behind that long before Melinda became Mrs Gates.

I know few people here like or appreciate Gates, but must we make shit up to slime the dude?

Re:flamebate?

[Stormwatch]

Thanks. After reading your link, I have a new favorite sig ;)
--
"We believe Internet Explorer is a really good browser. Internet Explorer is my browser of choice." -- Steve Jobs

I know it sounds wrong now, but in 1997 it was true. Back then, Internet Explorer was the best web browser on the Mac; Netscape Communicator had become a bloated, crash-prone mess; there was no Opera for Mac, no iCab, no Firefox - there was pretty much no alternative... unless you count Mosaic or Cyberdog (yea right).