Microsoft gave Gates a pay rise

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- The world's richest man got a raise last year.
Microsoft Corp.'s chairman and chief software architect, Bill Gates, earned $901,667 in Microsoft's 2004 fiscal year, up 4.4 percent from a year ago.
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, earned the same amount and got the same raise in the fiscal year ended June 30, the company said in a filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Both had base salaries of $591,667 in 2004, and earned bonuses $310,000, the company said in the filing. In Microsoft's 2003 fiscal year, they earned a base salary of $550,000 and had bonuses of $313,477.
Ballmer also received $7,865 in matching 401(k) contributions and insurance costs in the 2004 fiscal year. Gates received $1,715 for insurance costs, the company said.
The company also disclosed that Gates owns 10.09 percent of Microsoft shares, while Ballmer owns 3.78 percent.
In February, Gates was listed as the richest person in the world by Forbes magazine for the 10th straight year. Ballmer was No. 19.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.