Less than 1% of Microsoft Shareholders Voted for BTC Proposal

Prediction markets were skeptical that such a motion would pass.

Dec 12, 2024, 5:08 a.m. UTC

Only 0.55% of Microsoft (MSFT) shareholders voted for a proposal to put bitcoin (BTC) on the company's balance sheet, according to a recent company filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The proposal to add bitcoin to Microsoft's balance sheet was put to a shareholder vote on November 10 and was put forward by the National Center for Public Policy Research, which recommended that Microsoft allocate 1% of its total assets to BTC as a potential hedge against inflation.

Microsoft's board opposed the proposal, citing Bitcoin's volatility and favoring stable investments, despite Michael Saylor's pitch highlighting MicroStrategy's success and Microsoft's $200 billion capital outflow from dividends and buybacks.

Some of the other proposed shareholder motions, which would have directed the company to produce a report on AI and Misinformation/Disformation, as well as another which would highlight the risks of weapons development did not pass.

Prediction markets were skeptical that Microsoft would make a move to adopt the digital asset, with Polymarket bettors giving it a 12-16% chance of the motion being ratified.

Sam Reynolds

Sam Reynolds is a senior reporter based in Taipei. Sam was part of the CoinDesk team that won the 2023 Gerald Loeb award in the breaking news category for coverage of FTX's collapse. Prior to CoinDesk, he was a reporter with Blockworks and a semiconductor analyst with IDC.

X icon