Microsoft shareholders grumble at brief annual meet
Microsoft Corp shareholders filed out of the software giant's annual meeting grumbling that they did not get to ask more questions in their once-a-year opportunity to quiz Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer.
The gathering broke up with only a smattering of applause from 450 or so in attendance, while a handful of shareholders angrily shouted for more time to ask questions, after a strictly enforced 15 minutes.
"Why can't they answer questions for another hour?" said Bill Parker, a shareholder from Cashmere, Washington, a two-hour drive over the Cascade mountains. "We drove through the snow to get here. He (Ballmer) is talking about tablets and phones as if it were a new thing. Apple's had these things for years. My granddaughters don't even know what Microsoft does. They should treat the owners better than they do."
