Microsoft Dividend

I hope they have large enough ledgers for the balances on this transaction:

Microsoft to pay $32 bn special dividend

Microsoft said today it would dig into its cash mountain to pay a $32 billion (€26 billion) special dividend to its shareholders, marking the biggest corporate pay-out of its kind.

Together with plans to buy back $30 billion of its shares over the next four years and double its regular dividend payment, the plan answers critics who have attacked the software giant for being too conservative with its finances.

But even after the massive payment, Microsoft will be left with some $25 billion of cash - roughly what it had three years ago, when questions first began to build about how well it was using the gusher of cash from its PC software monopoly.

There's big money, and then there's microsoft money. Ridiculous. Congrats to all the shareholders.