Microsoft's decision to return $32 billion to its shareholders may be a wise business move, but it is also an admission of defeat. With its announcement this week that it will pay a special one-time dividend of $3 a share, the company is confessing that despite years of trying, it has not found an attractive way to invest its cash reserves. After decades of spectacular growth, the world's most famous software company seems resigned to a more sedate middle age.
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