Ballmer resigns from Microsoft board

Former Microsoft CEO and company veteran, Steve Ballmer, has resigned from the board.

Ballmer announced his decision publicly in an open letter to the current chief executive Satya Nadella published on the Microsoft website.

"Given my confidence and the multitude of new commitments I am taking on now, I think it would be impractical for me to continue to serve on the board, and it is best for me to move off," said Ballmer. "The fall will be hectic between teaching a new class and the start of the NBA season so my departure from the board is effective immediately."

The sometimes-polarising figure, and the new owner of basketball team Los Angeles Clippers, had been an employee of Microsoft for 34 years. Ballmer said his commitments outside of Microsoft had grown in the six months since vacating the CEO position.

"In the six months since leaving, I have become very busy. I see a combination of the Clippers, civic contribution, teaching and study taking a lot of time."

The former Microsoft boss said that he still holds more shares in the firm than anyone other than index funds and will continue that commitment "for the foreseeable future". He also supported the direction that Nadella is taking the technology company.

"I have confidence in our approach of mobile-first, cloud-first, and in our primary innovation emphasis on platforms and productivity and the building of capability in devices and services as core business drivers," said Ballmer. 

Ballmer steps down a day after he made a flamboyant public debut as an NBA franchise owner at a rally of fans and players.

Ballmer said he would continue to contribute ideas to Microsoft and support the future of the company as a shareholder.

"I bleed Microsoft — have for 34 years and I always will. I continue to love discussing the company’s future. I love trying new products and sending feedback. I love reading about what is going on at the company. Count on me to keep ideas and inputs flowing," he said.

"The company will move to higher heights. I will be proud, and I will benefit through my share ownership. I promise to support and encourage boldness by management in my role as a shareholder in any way I can."

According to Seeking Alpha, Microsoft shares have shot up 42 percent in value since Ballmer announced his resignation as chief executive a year ago.