Is Bill Gates worried about the outcome of Microsoft's antitrust case? As lawyers for Microsoft and nine states were wrapping up final arguments in the latest chapter of the tussle Wednesday, Gates was telling the Securities and Exchange Commission he'll dump 1 million Microsoft shares within three months. The block of shares is valued at $49.5 million.
The states' attorneys general have argued that the software maker should be forced to distribute source code for its Explorer browser, make its Office apps available for competing systems, fully support Sun Microsystems' Java technology, and generally stop bullying its rivals. A company spokeswoman says Gates is merely selling 1 million of his 661 million-plus shares as part of a "routine portfolio diversification."
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