Microsoft

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Learn more about corporations VOTING to rewrite our laws.

Campaign to Fix the Debt
Company Profile
Company Name Microsoft
CEO Name Steve Ballmer
CEO Compensation $1,376,915
Annual Company Revenue $69,943,000,000
Territorial Tax Break $19,400,000,000
Federal Lobbying/Political Donations ('09-'12*) $26,621,000
Click here for sources.
2011 data unless otherwise noted.
©2013 Center for Media and Democracy

Microsoft was founded in 1975 and describes itself as "the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential."[1]

In 2011, Microsoft reported $69,943,000,000 in total revenues.[2]

Ties to Pete Peterson's "Fix the Debt"

The Campaign to Fix the Debt is the latest incarnation of a decades-long effort by former Nixon man turned Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson to slash earned benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under the guise of fixing the nation's "debt problem." Microsoft is part of the Campaign to Fix the Debt as of February 2013.

This article is part of the Center for Media and Democracy's investigation of Pete Peterson's Campaign to "Fix the Debt." Please visit our main SourceWatch page on Fix the Debt.

About Fix the Debt
The Campaign to Fix the Debt is the latest incarnation of a decades-long effort by former Nixon man turned Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson to slash earned benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under the guise of fixing the nation's "debt problem." Through a special report and new interactive wiki resource, the Center for Media and Democracy -- in partnership with the Nation magazine -- exposes the funding, the leaders, the partner groups, and the phony state "chapters" of this astroturf supergroup. Learn more at PetersonPyramid.org and in the Nation magazine.

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council

Microsoft has been a corporate funder of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and served on ALEC's Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force[3] A list of ALEC Corporations can be found here.

The company confirmed that "in 2014 Microsoft decided to no longer participate in the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Communications and Technology Task Force, which had been our only previous involvement with ALEC. With this decision, we no longer contribute any dues to ALEC" in an email to The Sustainability Group of Loring, Wolcott and Coolidge and Walden Asset Management, which had engaged Microsoft over its affiliation with ALEC.[4] Please see Corporations that Have Cut Ties to ALEC for more.

About ALEC
ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.

Personnel

Board (2020) [5]

Executive Management

As of February 2013:[6]

  • Steve Ballmer - CEO
  • Tony Bates - President, Skype Division
  • Lisa Brummel - Chief People Officer
  • Kurt DelBene - President, Microsoft Office Division
  • Peter Klein - Chief Financial Officer
  • Julie Larson-Green - Corporate Vice President, Windows
  • Andrew Lees - President, Microsoft Corp.
  • Qi Lu - President, Online Services Division
  • Don Mattrick - President, Interactive Entertainment Business
  • Craig Mundie - Senior Advisor to the CEO
  • Terry Myerson - Corporate Vice President, Windows Phone Division
  • Satya Nadella - President, Server & Tools Business
  • Tami Reller - Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Windows
  • Eric Rudder - Chief Technical Strategy Officer
  • Brad Smith - General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs
  • Kirill Tatarinov - President, Microsoft Business Solutions Division
  • B. Kevin Turner - Chief Operating Officer

Board of Directors

As of February 2013:[7]

Former board members include:[8]

  • James I. Cash, Jr. - Former James E. Robison Professor, Harvard Business School
  • Raymond V. Gilmartin - former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Merck & Co., Inc
  • Reed Hastings - Founder, Chairman and CEO, Netflix, Inc.
  • Jon A. Shirley - former President and Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft Corporation

Criticism

Contact details

1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052
Phone: 425-882-8080
Fax: 425-936-7329
Web: http://www.microsoft.com

Articles and resources

Featured SourceWatch Articles on Fix the Debt

References

  1. Microsoft, "Investor Relations - Company Overview", organization website, accessed February 20, 2013
  2. "2011 Financial Statements", Microsoft, Accessed February 11, 2013.
  3. American Legislative Exchange Council, American Legislative Exchange Council Telecommunications & Information Technology as of July 18th, 2011, organizational task force membership director, July 18, 2011, p. 22, obtained and released by Common Cause April 2012.
  4. Rebekah Wilce, Microsoft and More Leave ALEC, 80 Corporations Out, PRWatch, August 21, 2014.
  5. Microsoft Board, accessed April 27, 2020.
  6. Microsoft, "Microsoft Senior Leaders", organizational website, accessed February 2013
  7. Microsoft, "Microsoft Board of Directors", organizational website, accessed February 2013
  8. Board of Directors, Microsoft, accessed December 9, 2007.

[Category:United States]]