They include French nuclear group Areva, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and reactor builder Westinghouse.

BBC: UK to sell stake in Urenco nuclear fuel firm

In June, GM said it will offer 42, 000 white-collar retirees in the U.S. a lump-sum payment in lieu of their monthly pension check and will transfer pension responsibility for 76, 000 others to a group annuity plan managed by Prudential Insurance.

FORBES: Leadership, Not Another Bailout, Will Fix GM (And No, It Is Not Going Bankrupt)

The experiment faltered, and eBay gave up on Skype in 2009, selling a 70% stake to a group of technology investors including Silver Lake Partners, venture capital firms Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, who will make a handsome return on the Microsoft transaction.

WSJ: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Skype for Nearly $8 Billion