REDMOND, Wash. — Aug . 30, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with ValueAct Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm with $12 billion in assets under management that beneficially owns approximately 0.8 percent of the outstanding shares of Microsoft common stock and is one of the company’s largest shareholders.

The cooperation agreement provides for regular meetings between Mason Morfit, president of ValueAct Capital, and selected Microsoft directors and management to discuss a range of significant business issues. The agreement also gives ValueAct Capital the option of having Morfit join the Microsoft board of directors beginning at the first quarterly board meeting after the 2013 annual shareholders meeting.

“Our board and management team are committed to enhancing growth and value for Microsoft shareholders, and we look forward to ValueAct Capital’s input,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive officer.

“Mason has extensive experience as a public company director, a wealth of financial knowledge and the perspective of a major shareholder. We have enjoyed getting to know Mason over the past few months and are looking forward to working with him,” said John Thompson, lead independent director and chair of Microsoft’s Governance and Nominating Committee.

“Microsoft is a world-class company with tremendous long-term potential,” said Morfit. “At this critical inflection point in the company’s evolution, I look forward to actively working together with the board and Microsoft’s management team to continue to create value for all shareholders.”

Morfit is the president of ValueAct Capital. Before joining ValueAct Capital in January 2001, he worked in equity research for Credit Suisse First Boston. Morfit is also a director of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International and a former director of Advanced Medical Optics Inc., C.R. Bard Inc., Immucor Inc., MSD Performance Inc. and Solexa Inc. He has a B.A. from Princeton University and is a CFA charterholder.

The agreement between Microsoft and ValueAct Capital will be included as an exhibit to the Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

For more information , financial analysts and investors only :

Investor Relations, Microsoft, (425) 706-4400

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Gamers Who Purchase a Qualifying GPU to Receive Free PC Edition of the Game

SANTA CLARA, CA - NVIDIA today announced it is working with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and WB Games Montréal to make Batman™: Arkham Origins, the next installment in the blockbuster Batman: Arkham videogame franchise, a technically advanced and intensely realistic chapter in the award-winning saga for PC players.

Yohz Software announces the release of SQL Select 1.3.0.32 on August 29, 2013, and is available for immediate download. SQL Select supports PostgreSQL 7.1 to 9.2, without the need for any additional database drivers.

Changes in this release:

• Improved display of binary/blob fields in result grid. SQL Select now identifies the data type where possible, and display the type and data size accordingly.
  
• Fixed bug with exporting multiple result sets to text files.
  
• Fixed bug with not saving Excel header options correctly.
  
• Fixed bug with running queries against ODBC connections.

For more details about SQL Select, visit the product page here.

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 29, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the appointment of Phil Sorgen as corporate vice president of the company’s Worldwide Partner Group. Sorgen will manage a team of sales and marketing professionals tasked with helping Microsoft’s 640,000-member-strong partner community capitalize on new areas of growth in cloud computing, mobility, big data and enterprise social technologies.

A 17-year veteran of Microsoft, Sorgen previously led the company’s U.S. Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) Group, which provided Microsoft technology solutions for more than 20 million small and midsized businesses in the United States. Before this position, he served as president of Microsoft Canada for 3 1/2 years.

“Our partner ecosystem is a key asset to Microsoft and carries tremendous strategic importance to the company,” said Vahé Torossian, corporate vice president of worldwide SMS&P. Phil has been a member of Torossian’s extended leadership team for several years and has been involved in multiple global initiatives that have shaped the worldwide SMS&P business and partner strategies.

“Phil’s rich leadership experience in working with our customers and partners in the United States and Canada makes him an ideal fit to help our partners drive new opportunities as Microsoft transforms into a company delivering devices and high-value cloud services,” Torossian said.

Sorgen will officially assume his new role on Sept. 1, 2013, reporting to Torossian. He replaces Corporate Vice President Jon Roskill, who served for three years as channel chief.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

I am writing to let you know that I will retire as CEO of Microsoft within the next 12 months, after a successor is chosen. There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time. My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our transformation to a devices and services company focused on empowering customers in the activities they value most. We need a CEO who will be here longer term for this new direction. You can read the press release on Microsoft News Center.

This is a time of important transformation for Microsoft. Our new Senior Leadership team is amazing. The strategy we have generated is first class. Our new organization, which is centered on functions and engineering areas, is right for the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Microsoft is an amazing place. I love this company. I love the way we helped invent and popularize computing and the PC. I love the bigness and boldness of our bets. I love our people and their talent and our willingness to accept and embrace their range of capabilities, including their quirks. I love the way we embrace and work with other companies to change the world and succeed together. I love the breadth and diversity of our customers, from consumer to enterprise, across industries, countries, and people of all backgrounds and age groups.

I am proud of what we have achieved. We have grown from $7.5 million to nearly $78 billion since I joined Microsoft, and we have grown from employing just over 30 people to almost 100,000. I feel good about playing a role in that success and having committed 100 percent emotionally all the way. We have more than 1 billion users and earn a great profit for our shareholders. We have delivered more profit and cash return to shareholders than virtually any other company in history.

I am excited by our mission of empowering the world and believe in our future success. I cherish my Microsoft ownership, and look forward to continuing as one of Microsoft’s largest owners.

This is an emotional and difficult thing for me to do. I take this step in the best interests of the company I love; it is the thing outside of my family and closest friends that matters to me most.

Microsoft has all its best days ahead. Know you are part of the best team in the industry and have the right technology assets. We cannot and will not miss a beat in these transitions. I am focused and driving hard and know I can count on all of you to do the same. Let’s do ourselves proud.

Steve

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 23, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer has decided to retire as CEO within the next 12 months, upon the completion of a process to choose his successor. In the meantime, Ballmer will continue as CEO and will lead Microsoft through the next steps of its transformation to a devices and services company that empowers people for the activities they value most.

“There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time,” Ballmer said. “We have embarked on a new strategy with a new organization and we have an amazing Senior Leadership Team. My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our company’s transformation to a devices and services company. We need a CEO who will be here longer term for this new direction.”

The Board of Directors has appointed a special committee to direct the process. This committee is chaired by John Thompson, the board’s lead independent director, and includes Chairman of the Board Bill Gates, Chairman of the Audit Committee Chuck Noski and Chairman of the Compensation Committee Steve Luczo. The special committee is working with Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., a leading executive recruiting firm, and will consider both external and internal candidates.

“The board is committed to the effective transformation of Microsoft to a successful devices and services company,” Thompson said. “As this work continues, we are focused on selecting a new CEO to work with the company’s senior leadership team to chart the company’s course and execute on it in a highly competitive industry.”

“As a member of the succession planning committee, I’ll work closely with the other members of the board to identify a great new CEO,” said Gates. “We’re fortunate to have Steve in his role until the new CEO assumes these duties.”

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.