Investors want Bill Gates to step down as chairman

Close on the heels of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer calling it quits, here comes another shocker of sorts. This relates to none other than its iconic co-founder - Bill Gates. According to a Reuters report, it said that three of top 20 investors of the company want Bill Gates to step down.

The unnamed investors seem to have raised concerns on Bill Gates continuance and he being the single biggest shareholder of the company can act as a deterrent in the functioning of the new CEO- who will be stepping in post Ballmer's exit next year. The company right now is in the process of identifying a new CEO.

Bill Gates in 2000 retired and took on the mentor role and continued as the chairman of the board and owns 4.5% of the $277 bn valued company. The disgruntled investors who are calling for the ouster of Gates own collectively about 5% of Microsoft's stock.

While it's too early days to judge the outcome of this request, it on the other hand suggests that there is a growing tide of trust deficit amidst section of the company's shareholders. Analysts used to term Ballmer as money machine - while the company revenues soared during his regime, but Microsoft's stock performance went for a toss. For instance in 2000, Microsoft's average stock price was at around $ 53.91 and its marcap was about $555 bn. Cut to 2013, the stock price hovered around $ 34.75 and marcap now is about $277 bn. Clearly both stock price and marcap went south during Ballmer's tenure since he joined the company as its 30th employee in 2000. Ballmer, as analysts say missed on several of the key trends in computing and could not think beyond the PC.

Coming back to this development, Todd Lowenstein, a portfolio manager at HighMark Capital Management told to Reuters, "This is long overdue. Replacing the old guard with some fresh eyes can provide the oxygen needed to properly evaluate their corporate strategy."

Today Microsoft's bread and butter are the consumer and enterprise software business- and its outlook on tablets and mobile remains myopic. And investors are increasingly looking at a CEO who can innovate and define a road map that can propel Microsoft to an orbit in which it can challenge Google and Apple on a more level playing field.

Is a coup building up in Microsoft? Do you think shareholders will oust Bill Gates?