bill - 5:05 am on Dec 12, 2011 (gmt 0)

This is unconfirmed, third party hearsay from a Fortune blog post...so I won't be holding my breath for Bill to return. ;)
As others have said in the press already, Bill Gates is probably more responsible for the current state of Microsoft shares than Ballmer. If it weren't for all the anti-trust actions of the Gates years MS might have retained more power, influence and talent than it does today.