SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Microsoft on Friday announced
that co-founder Bill Gates has left its board of directors to devote more
time to philanthropy.
The 64-year-old stopped being involved in day-to-day operations at the
firm more than a decade ago, turning his attention to the foundation he
launched with his wife, Melinda. Gates served as chairman of Microsoft’s
board of directors until early in 2014 and has now stepped away entirely,
according to the Redmond-based technology giant.
“It’s been a tremendous honor and privilege to have worked with and
learned from Bill over the years,” Microsoft chief executive and company
veteran Satya Nadella said in a release.
“Bill founded our company with a belief in the democratizing force of
software and a passion to solve society’s most pressing challenges; and
Microsoft and the world are better for it.”
Nadella said Microsoft would continue to benefit from Gates’ “technical
passion and advice” in his continuing role as a technical advisor.
“I am grateful for Bill’s friendship and look forward to continuing to
work alongside him,” Nadella said.
– Computing and compassion –
Gates left his CEO position in 2000, handing the company reins to Steve
Ballmer to devote more time to his charitable foundation.
He gave up the role of chairman at the same time Nadella became
Microsoft’s third CEO in 2014.
Regularly listed among the world’s richest people, William H. Gates was a
geeky-looking young man when he and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft in 1975.
Gates grew up in Seattle with two sisters. His father William was an
attorney and his late mother Mary was a schoolteacher and chairwoman of
United Way International.
He began programming computers as a 13-year-old student, and fell in love
with the machines.
Among the tales told about Gates is that while working on school
computers, he tinkered with programming to put himself in classes made up
mostly of girls.
With his parents’ blessing, Gates dropped out of Harvard to start “Micro-
soft” with his late childhood friend Allen.
A key move was to focus on licensing software to computer makers in
numerous “partnerships” that resulted in affordable machines being available
to the masses.
As the personal computer market grew, Microsoft became the world’s top
software company. Its virtual monopoly led to a much-publicized antitrust
trial, in which the company managed to avert a break-up but had to endure
years of government monitoring.
Gates went on to turn his attention from software to fighting disease and
other humanitarian challenges with his wife, under the auspices of the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“This move is not surprising to the Street as Gates has continued to focus
more on his myriad of philanthropies across the globe over the past decade,”
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said in a note to investors.
“Gates is a historic figure in the technology world and his legacy at
Microsoft will be felt in Redmond for decades to come.”