Gates to leave day to day ops at Msoft

[Fredl]

Who will take over?

[js33]

Steve Balmer will remain CEO. After 2008, Gates will continue to serve as chairman and an advisor on key development projects. Chief Technical Officer Ray Ozzie will immediately take on Gates' title of chief software architect.

[RocketBoy]

I think he just wants to free up his schedule so he will have more time to swim around in his giant piggy bank, Scrooge McDuck style.

[amfantasy]

I'm not a fan of Windows but Bill Gates has always been my favourite insanly rich guy. He isn't greedy he gives to the poor. I think he just wants to chill now, and maybe he too is giving up on his OS lol

[gruvsyco]

I think in actuality what happened is that his Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion addiction mixed with having finally made the Spore beta team just became too much for him to deal with work.

[RocketBoy]

He isn't greedy he gives to the poor.
No doubt about that. I believe I read a few years back that he personally gives more money to AIDS research and African AIDS relief than the United States government.

[JeroenDStout]

He isn't greedy he gives to the poor.
Which pretty much is as-if there is a tax on MS-products that is sent to charity.

[Andyman]

'The world “has had a tendency to focus a disproportionate amount of attention on me,” Gates said, adding that Microsoft has a deep and wide talent pool.'

[link] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13348456/?GT1=8211)

[UrbanFuturistic]

He wasn't always so shy.
http://www.slowitdown.net/beck/archives/billgates01.jpg

I also want to know what he's grinning about here:
http://z.about.com/d/crime/1/0/P/8/gatesbill.jpg

[L.Rawlins]

http://www.slowitdown.net/beck/archives/billgates01.jpg

That's a blue screen of death in the background isn't it, you just know it is... :D

[DevilHacker]

I think he just wants to free up his schedule so he will have more time to swim around in his giant piggy bank, Scrooge McDuck style.What in your right mind would make you say that. Bill Gates has donated over 54% of his total fortune...
:surprised

[Neil]

I think in actuality what happened is that his Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion addiction

Did you just make that up as a joke or did he say in an interview that he actually plays that? i'd be curious to hear what games Gates plays in his free time, and I mean actually play.

Good to hear he's taking time to give back.
I could probably find this out if i wanted to, but does anyone know if he's got kids? Are they gonna take over MS operations at any point?

[gruvsyco]

Did you just make that up as a joke or did he say in an interview that he actually plays that? i'd be curious to hear what games Gates plays in his free time, and I mean actually play.
Are you kidding me? I thought everyone knew he plays Halo 2 online under the name b_mun33. Oh... oops.

[arvid]

News on the telly said that he wants to focus on his charity foundation together with his wife after the phase-out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%26_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

[leuey]

Yeah - you can bitch about MS's business practices. But the fact is Gates gives more money away than any other human being on earth (or in Earth's history most likely). And now he's basically saying that he's devoting the rest of his life to giving away his money and trying to make sure it's not in vain. People tend to villify Gates and adore Jobs - but when it comes to charity Gates is the man and Jobs is nowhere to be seen (probably redecorating his house).

-G

[arvid]

probably redecorating his house).Hehe, I can picture that.. :D

[DrFx]

That's a blue screen of death in the background isn't it, you just know it is... :D
More to the point... that's a Macintosh Classic in the background, isn't it?!?

[(...)]

Bill Gates has donated over 54% of his total fortune...

When you're self-employed and have a personal fortune of £33Bn, then charities make for a good tax write-off.

[PyRoT]

When you're self-employed and have a personal fortune of £33Bn, then charities make for a good tax write-off.

You wouldn't need to donate such a huge proportion of your money if you were just out to get a tax-break. Secondly, I read an interview with him where he said that he plans to eventually donate 95% of his fortune.

I second that Jobs comment too. Bill owns.

Tomek

[ThomasMahler]

Yeah, I read the same thing. Once he's dead, he'll give 95% of his money to charity, each of his kids will 'only' get 10 Million Bucks.

That's a kick-ass attitude in my book.

[SHEPEIRO]

man with all that money, he could save the planet! i hope he puts alot of it towards helping the development of cleaner energy, he could probably give every poor household in america a free solar panel with his pocket change (maybe)

[ares623]

and they say Bill Gates is the "Beast"... hehehe.. i've spent too much time in the internet..

[HellBoy]

That dude is genius, that could be good thing to not to give huge amount to his kids, otherwise they won't work their arses off and become another paris hiltons

[innermindseye]

nothing but respect for this man. Congrats billy boy gates. Sad to see you go. Thanks for everything. youv got the right attitude. Just glad its you in this position and not a plethora of other bad choices. ciao.

[PyRoT]

That dude is genius, that could be good thing to not to give huge amount to his kids, otherwise they won't work their arses off and become another paris hiltons

That would be terrible. The only good thing that could come from that is another Southpark episode making fun of them :P

Tomek

[ThomasMahler]

That dude is genius, that could be good thing to not to give huge amount to his kids, otherwise they won't work their arses off and become another paris hiltons

So you think having 10 Million Dollars in the bank isn't enough to become a Paris Hilton? Doesn't take much more than that, I suppose.

[mustique]

Gates' decision has an interesting timing...
Just s few days ago Stephen Hawking urged mankind to find another planet :D

[UrbanFuturistic]

Just s few days ago Stephen Hawking urged mankind to find another planet :DWere those his actual words or was he just telling everyone to 'be elsewhere'? :D

[SHEPEIRO]

if i had that money id get thousands of large mirrors put on the moon so it became a 70s style mirror ball, then every nighht would be party night

either that or get the UKs coasts changed so that it from space it looked like my face

[Chome]

Gates' decision has an interesting timing...
Just s few days ago Stephen Hawking urged mankind to find another planet :D


Gates is probly starting his own space program in response to Hawkings demand.

[HellBoy]

So you think having 10 Million Dollars in the bank isn't enough to become a Paris Hilton? Doesn't take much more than that, I suppose.

10mil :drool:

seriosly, with rich folks paying over $500 for a pair of boxers, 10mil will ran out quickly

[Dennik]

I used to hate Bill Gates for the wealth that he has gathered, and even now that we speak, hundreds of thousands of people could benefit from the $50 billion he has.
I mean seriously now. What can a man do with a $50 billion fortune? Heh, my average daily expenses until i got my first job, were less than $5. Thats less than $40,000 total until the age of 21 and believe me, i never even felt poor with that money. But $50 billion for one man and his family? Thats insane!!!

So this recent decision of Bill to devote more of his time and money for a good cause, realy changes my opinion of him. If it is true then maybe this world is not as screwed up as we thought it was.

[amfantasy]

EDIT:sorry about that Dennik read your post wrong

[Para]

I used to hate Bill Gates for the wealth that he has gathered, and even now that we speak, hundreds of thousands of people could benefit from the $50 billion he has.
I mean seriously now. What can a man do with a $50 billion fortune? Heh, my average daily expenses until i got my first job, were less than $5. Thats less than $40,000 total until the age of 21 and believe me, i never even felt poor with that money. But $50 billion for one man and his family? Thats insane!!!

As far as I know Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been supporting 3rd world countries and such for the total value of over 60 billion dollars so far.

[pgp_protector]

As far as I know Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been supporting 3rd world countries and such for the total value of over 60 billion dollars so far.

Yea, but that's not enough for some people.
He's a figurhead for somthing that people hate, so people will also hate him withough knowing anything about him.

IMHO. Smart move to leave M.S.

[Hugh-Jass]

i'd be curious to hear what games Gates plays in his free time, and I mean actually play.
freecell
hearts
solitaire
spider solitaire
minesweeper

[PyRoT]

freecell
hearts
solitaire
spider solitaire
minesweeper

Oh boy..
They should bundle a game with Vista.. AoE3 or some other cool MS game.

[victor throe]

i think microsoft will miss gates at the helm

i at least felt confident in my microsoft product knowing gates was in charge. the guy had vision

i just hope that the several people he has put in his place can work together to ensure sony have a hard time

[innerminds-i]

i really dont like this. the only reason i felt safe liking MS is because of him. people always talk about how bad a company it is, and how much of a monopoly it is etc etc... but i always thought it was a good thing.


its a good thing to have a man like bill gates head of this company because he is so obviously not as corrupt as so many government officials in all countries. Thye probably hate the fact that this man has so muchpower and influence. i love it.

if it was anyone else the world would be a messed up place right now, and you know they just hate that bill has got the money he does. I think its prefect that a 'geek' like us is up there as one of the most powerful men in the world, and its a shame to see him go.

i hope the company dusnt turn to a pile of shit now. :(

[heavyness]

Did you just make that up as a joke or did he say in an interview that he actually plays that? i'd be curious to hear what games Gates plays in his free time, and I mean actually play.

from interviews, Bill Gates said he and his family play Xbox Live Arcade games.

[GoranNF]

Who will take over?

I will,and when I'm rich,I will donate 500 dollars to the cgsociety.I'm so generous

[avinashlobo]

i really dont like this. the only reason i felt safe liking MS is because of him. people always talk about how bad a company it is, and how much of a monopoly it is etc etc... but i always thought it was a good thing.


its a good thing to have a man like bill gates head of this company because he is so obviously not as corrupt as so many government officials in all countries. Thye probably hate the fact that this man has so muchpower and influence. i love it.

if it was anyone else the world would be a messed up place right now, and you know they just hate that bill has got the money he does. I think its prefect that a 'geek' like us is up there as one of the most powerful men in the world, and its a shame to see him go.

i hope the company dusnt turn to a pile of shit now. :(You took the words outta my mouth. My faith in Microsoft was squarely based on my faith in Bill Gates as a visionary, philanthropist and all-round nice guy. Without him, I don't know man... I'm a touch worried now. And very sad.

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