Spitfire

Gates to quit Microsoft
From: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=32453

Wants to spend more time with his charities

By Nick Farrell: Friday 16 June 2006, 07:55

MICROSOFT'S spiritual and temporal ruler King William Gates the III has announced that he will abdicate his throne in July 2008. Gates says that he wants to work full time Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the outfit he founded with his missus, which focuses on global health and education.
At a press conference, the Vole in chief said that he was "reorganising his personal priorities". The world's richest man said that with great wealth comes great responsibility.

"I have the responsibility to give back to society and make sure those resources are given back in the best possible way, to those in need. It's not a retirement; it's a reordering of my priorities."

The Vole's chief technical officer, Ray Ozzie, will immediately assume the title of chief software architect and work closer with Gates on all technical architecture and product oversight responsibilities.

Chief technical officer Craig Mundie, will take the new role of chief research and strategy officer immediately to assume Gate's responsibility for the company's research and incubation efforts.

But it seems the heir to the throne is going to be the softy spoken, shy and retiring Steve 'there is a kind of hush' Ballmer.

Both Ozzie and Mundie will start reporting to Ballmer the moment Gates empties his desk.

Steve told the crowds who gathered under the window of Vole headquarters that it had been a privilege to work shoulder to shoulder with a true visionary. He said that Gates was headed to be one of the greatest philanthropists of all time. µ

FrogMan

Lol 2008... Damn its a sad moment in business... he had such a gift for making truck loads of cash lol

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Loits

Quit? lol? he's still on the board and thats where decisions are made, the CEO just makes things happen.

wm_hunter

Gates passed the CEO position in 2000 on to his buddy Steve Ballmer. Ballmer did an ok job, but stock has suffered without Gates' vision. In 2008 he will be quiting his day to day work (as Chief Software Architect)...

I think Microsoft is starting its slow decent... the company has been loosing money ever since Gate stepped down as CEO, but now as he is nearly stepping down completley (just staying as chairman and advisor), stock holders aren't too happy.

I think that he is doing it for a good cause, I know that he has donated billions of dollars to charites and is now working hard to run his foundation (which, by the way, is the largest chairitable foundation in the world)... but his company is going to suffer from it.

EDIT: One of the things killing MSFT the most, is Google. They invested a lot of money into their search engine and advertising services, just to be #2

tigeroip

Finally hes going to be gone, god i hope the prices on new windows versions will lower after he leaves

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TigerOIP

Fykins

Microsoft still wont go under though, way to many people use windows and play xbox.

tigeroip

well u know what u just said gives me an idea of what microsoft might release in the future- Xbox Windows. An exbox system with windows

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TigerOIP

L4E

tigeroip thats the dumbest thing ive ever heard anyone say, do u think that hes the one that sets the price on windows? obviously not. do u think people will start buying less microsoft products cuz Gates is gone? of course not, its not like he programs anything anymore.

I think its a very good thing that hes going to spend more time on his charity work, there are way too many homeless, starving, poor, orphans, in this world, maybe he can finally make a difference?

xbox with windows... hm i think its called a PC and it was made by IBM first

hellsing293

man can't he just get people to run his charity and stay with microsoft. He could probably pay a large percentage of the U.S.'s debt if he donated all is money to them. then the money would go around and help the government spend money and improve AMERICA and not some far away third world country on the far side of the globe.

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wm_hunter

I don't see it having any immediate effect, I think Ballmer will continue to screw things up though, as Microsoft continues to fall ever since 2000 (when Gates stepped down as CEO)

Lux Aeterna

How I see it, theres a difference between quitting and retiring. He's worth 50 billion dollars, so he doesn't need to work anymore, and he's had and will have (untill '08) a "student" who will basically take over his job, so it's not a major loss. And you're all stupid to think that he still won't have a say in what goes on, to some extent.

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hellsing293

bill gates with $50,000,000,000 is probably the most powerful man in the world IMO. sure the president can bring the country to war but bill gates can pay off 20countries to go to war or buy his won army. its kind of funny. but idk unless i see something go obviously wrong with microsoft i'll still think of them the same.

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FrogMan

About time to give other people a chance to make money lol.

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wm_hunter

Update

Waren Buffet (worth 44 billion dollars) has said he will donate nearly all of it away, mostly to the Gates foundation

Let's hope this money goes to a good cause, I know Gates personally donated 6 billion dollars to help end world hunger during the Live 8 concert put on about a year ago.