Ballmer probably knows it's his last executive position he'll ever get in this industry. So he's squeezing as much out of it as he can. Or he's just a fanboy of the "old Microsoft."
It's an ego thing.
Edit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121009/us-executi...
> it's not about the money. It's an ego thing.
Not just with CEOs as either. I often read online comments from warring zealots who proclaim "I get paid a i to do this stuff!", as if it somehow validates their claims.
You think he fears the high price of COBRA insurance maybe http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/2011/03/11/steve-ballmer... ? Virtually any type of a job after MSFT, unless he was passionate about it (NBA team President for example) would be seen as a downgrade. Love them or hate them ...MS is minting cash and will continue to do so for a long time http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Microsoft_%28MSFT%29/Data/Gro...