toggle

AAPL Stock: 562.29 ( -3.03 )

Gates to transition away from Microsoft

updated 05:40 pm EDT, Thu June 15, 2006

Gates steps away from MS


Microsoft today announced that chairman and co-founder Bill Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role at the company, effective July 2008, to spend more time working on his charitable foundation, according to CNN Money. Gates is expected to work part-time at Microsoft as chairman and technical adviser and will work full time for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, according to the report. Founded with his wife, the foundation focuses on global health and education. "I've decided that two years from today, I will reorganize my personal priorities," Gates said during a news conference, adding,"I have one of the best jobs in the world. I believe with great wealth comes great responsibility - the responsibility to give back to society," he said. The company's chief technical officer, Ray Ozzie, will immediately assume the title of chief software architect.


by MacNN Staff

print
email
(13)

TAGS :

 industry

Related Articles

Recent Articles

toggle

Comments

  1. Meovv

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2006

    0
    06/15, 07:52pm | report spam | Reply |

    Here is an idea

    I think it's great that Gates wants to improve life on Earth for all.

    How about ditching Windows?

  1. SergioRS

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2004

    0
    06/15, 08:28pm | report spam | Reply |

    Win some - lose some

    Much as I hate him, his hair, his (non) fashion sense, the various OS's his company has foisted upon us (with a possible exception of Mobile5 which I can't say I hate, specially since the phone was free and does pretty much everything....) he has given over 11Billion dollars to charity for improving healthcare in the 3rd world. How about an Apple foundation Steve? (maybe 10.00 per iPod sold going to education?)

  1. itguy05

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Apr 2005

    0
    06/15, 09:05pm | report spam | Reply |

    Whopdee Dooo

    Let's see here, Billy Boi has, ~ $53 billion.

    If he really cared, he'd donate 3/4 of that to charity. He could still live very very comfortably on the leftovers. Probably would still have enough to set his kids up for liffe when he dies.

    And if he really wanted to help society, he'd close Microsoft up, recall all their flawed products, and give the money back to the stockholders.

  1. kw99

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2001

    0
    06/16, 04:02am | report spam | Reply |

    how do you know

    that Steve Jobs does not give the same percentage of his money to charity. He keeps that information private. Bill Gates make a huge dog and pony show out of his charity. What Steve Jobs does with his personal fortune is his business.

    >maybe 10.00 per iPod sold going to education

    That's Apple's money. Steve Jobs cannot arbitrarily come up with ege-stroking schemes to give away the stockholders' profits.

  1. hayesk

    Professional Poster

    Joined: Sep 1999

    0
    06/16, 09:24am | report spam | Reply |

    Re: whopdee dooo

    Only 3/4? - I think I could live comfortably on far less than 1% of $53 billion, let alone 25%.

    What he really ought to do, and probably is doing, is setting up funds that can sustain and keep paying out forever. Including one for himself.

  1. ZinkDifferent

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2005

    0
    06/16, 10:42am | report spam | Reply |

    "charity"

    Considering Bill's assets, none of you apparently considered that most of what he claims as 'charity' are effectively good tax write offs - sure, it's better to use for charity than giving to Uncle Sam, but these 'humanitarian gestures' become dubious when a lot of the charitable donations turn out to be 'gifts' of Microsoft products like Office and Windows, written off at full retail value (or more), instead of actual financial assistance.

    ...and, yes, a lot of Bill Gates' charity is self-serving, extremely ego-stroking self-serving, while Steve Jobs has no need for such public masturbation.

  1. burger

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0
    06/16, 10:56am | report spam | Reply |

    Quick to critique

    11 Billion is a lot of charity.

    I'm sure it would go a lot further if the organizations were less corrupt, too.

    He doesn't have to give any.

  1. christophersj

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2003

    0
    06/16, 11:47am | report spam | Reply |

    Bad tatse

    I'm a HUGE Mac fan and I don't like Windows, but honestly I am surprised by the misinformed attitudes in here.

    Read up on his and his wife's accomplishments. They have and will continue to save millions of lives with their programs. You guys should read last year's Newsweek and Time Magazine articles, or read Jeffery Sachs. Gates is making a substantial difference.

    Thankfully this little niche board doesn't reach the masses. You guys embarrass me.

    -Christopher Johnson (long time Mac User and proponent)

  1. jselter

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2003

    0
    06/16, 11:52am | report spam | Reply |

    ditto

    Seriously guys, however you might feel about Microsoft, the Gates Foundation is one of the best organizations in the world. They give more annually than several the next most generous organizations combined. Go read a bit about it before indulging your knee-jerk anti-Microsoft reaction.

    I have always been and most likely will be a mac user, but I have a lot of respect for the man (Gates). He's arguably done more for the developing world than anybody (living or deceased), and he's pretty much a model of responsible and admirable use of wealth. Whatever you think of his company, give credit where it is due.

  1. fletcher

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2005

    0
    06/16, 12:17pm | report spam | Reply |

    Robber Baron

    Bill Gates is a modern day robber baron like Carnegie or Rockefeller. Like them he aspires to be remembered by history not as a business man, but as a philanthropist. It's difficult to judge whether Gates will be remembered as the architect of the "just good enough" software principles and the erosion of business ethics or for his latter day philanthropy.

    In any case, this strikes me as such a non-story. He announced his planned retirement in 2008. I figure he wants to get Longhorn out the door before he moves on :)

Show More Comments

Login Here

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

MacNN Sponsor

Recent Reviews

iHome iW2 AirPlay speaker

iHome generally isn't known as a luxury brand when it comes to audio, but it is prolific -- the company's docks and speakers are every ...

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover

One of the iPad's main weaknesses has always been productivity. It's not a question of apps; while it has taken a little time for a na ...

Logitech UE Air Speaker

If maybe a little more slowly than Apple would like, AirPlay is becoming a staple of the wireless speaker market for iOS devices. The ...

toggle

Most Commented

 

Popular News