Bill Gates now only holds about 0.9% of Microsoft shares. At the time of the initial IPO, he held 45%, but he has continuously reduced his holdings and made donations since then. So, in fact, he hasn’t been the boss of Microsoft for a long time and has no say in the company. Ballmer holds 4.5% and has sold very little. The CEO is Nadella, and the major voices on the board come from institutional shareholders like Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street.