Microsoft board gives Ballmer a 2% pay increase, says he’s underpaid
Source: GeekWire
CEO Steve Ballmer received an increase in pay to $682,500 for fiscal 2011, up about 2 percent, and a bonus of the same amount — bringing his total compensation to 1.365 million.
Under the company’s incentive plans, Ballmer had the potential to receive a bonus as large as twice his salary, if he had knocked it out of the park. But the the filing describes the bonus as “100% of his target award,” which is also what he received for fiscal 2010.
Ballmer’s bonus is paid in cash, not stock, because he already owns 3.95 percent of the company, second only to Bill Gates among individual shareholders. That helps make his overall compensation considerably less than the average of a peer group of CEOs from similar companies, according to the company.
