Steve Ballmer - valued at $14 billion

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Forbes' latest list

Steve Ballmer - valued at $14 billion

Is that US dollars, 'cause 1 Australian dollar = US 76 cents.

How many boxes of Windows do you have to flog to get this?

Conepatus leuconotus, me stinks, feverroot.

Is this software overpriced?

[Martin L]

this doesn't make any sense.... steve just work like every healthy man should work.... i am jealous that i don't earn that big amount.

i really don't see the reason why you should talk that bad about people whom are better then you are

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I'm not talking badly about the man. I'm saying: Is this software overpriced? If you can make this much after tax and lots of other people are making large amounts; plus the shareholders need big returns.

Let's not forget Microsoft have a virtual monopoly on PC operating systems to the tune of about 600 million users. There's no real competition. Instead of all these countries suing the company to remove bits and pieces from the OS, they should be looking at the pricing.

If the market was 5-10 million people you would expect to pay a lot for the product, but because of their unique position at 600 million, charging the same should not be on.

And if people buy two copies of Vista; one for the old PC and one for the new; then that's 1.2 billion. Plus when the Chinese finally come onboard that's another 600 million.

That makes 1.8 billion. As the figures go up from DOS through all Win versions, the price does not lower.

[FthrJACK]

his money isnt just from selling windows, but investments and other software sales and other deals and god knows what else he has his hands in.

you have a few million dollars sat in your bank doing nothing and growing steadily.. what do you do with it? you put it to work to make more money obviously.

Edited September 26, 2005 by FthrJACK

[prathapml]

@Press any key:

What you're saying is partly true. But wait:

Firstly, he's sure going to plough it all back into the business.

Secondly, (and very important) almost three-fourths of it is very likely to be theoretical money (stock value on paper). So he's just an ordinary guy...