Summary: Microsoft reduces executive salaries and bonuses, stock gets downgraded, and Microsoft will report the next financial results right after Vista 7 launch (strategic and intentional, not just a coincidence)

According to this AP report, despite the increase in Ballmer's wage, his compensation is down and other executives are similarly affected by the sharp decline in profit. Both their salaries and bonuses are reduced while they sell their Microsoft shares (despite Vista 7 coming, which would change little or nothing at all).

The Microsoft-affiliated 'news' site uses the dramatic headline "Pay Cuts at Microsoft" to just shower the company with praise (very typical) and as Microsoft gets downgraded by a large bank, Blogging Stocks is spinning this downgrade.

It seems like a safe bet that Microsoft's results for this quarter will be very disappointing yet again. Microsoft timed the release of Vista 7 such that it conceals the bad results that Microsoft will deliver (after jiggling the books a little), according to this press release.

Microsoft Corp. will release fiscal year 2010 first-quarter financial results prior to the market open on Friday, October 23, 2009, the morning following the Windows 7 product launch activities.

Watch the timing. Coincidence? Surely not. As the next post will show, Microsoft intends to acquire itself so much hype that newspapers will be clogged up by Vista 7 coverage and thus will not pay much attention to Microsoft's poor performance. Such bad results (guaranteed) will be eclipsed by paid-for Tupperware parties and corruptible reporters. This will almost obscure the coverage of Ubuntu's 9.10 release, as well. It happened when Ubuntu 9.04 was released as Microsoft unleashed its results around the very same day. They stole the thunder. ⬆

"...yesterday we were notified that the Microsoft representative in charge with the education strategy had requested the organizers to pull the Ubuntu presentation because it is 'unfair competition' to hold such a presentation at an event sponsored by them. They are indeed co-sponsors but the conference is organized by the Ministry of Education and its local office, and is being held on the premises of a public University."

--"Then, they fight you," May 2008