Microsoft Bids Bye Bye to Bill
June 28th, 2008 | by rey |
After more than 32 years as an employee of Microsoft, the largest software company in the world, William Henry “Bill” Gates III, its co-founder and 3rd richest man in the world as of 2008, is finally retiring and leaving whatever responsibilities he had concerning Microsoft’s day to day operations in the capable hands of its CEO Steve Ballmer, Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie, and Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie. Boy what a long sentence, eh?
It was Bill’s vision of a computer in every home that lead to Microsoft’s eventual dominance as the Home and Business Software powerhouse it is today. It all started in 1980 with IBM asking his budding software company, which he co-founded with Paul Allen in 1975 as Micro-soft, to develop an operating system for their up and coming IBM PC (Personal Computer). Gates’ Microsoft sold PC-DOS to IBM for a one-time fee of $80,000 with Microsoft retaining the copyright to the software of course. Once IBM-compatible PCs or clones came to market where else would these clone builders go for an operating system but Bill Gates? Smart that Bill ain’t he now…Anyways, the rest is history.
Today Microsoft commands a lion’s share of the Home and Enterprise/Business PC software market and other business such as Product Support and Services, Online Advertising, Entertainment and Devices (e.g. XBOX and Zune) to name a few.
Bill Gates will still be overseeing the company in his capacity as a member the Chairman of the Microsoft’s Board of Directors. But after June 27, 2008 he will be focusing more on philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donating time and money to the research of cures for diseases and various other causes and charities.
What will happen to Microsoft now that the man who lead it to where it is now leaves it’s hallowed halls behind? Your guess is as good as mine.
One Response to “Microsoft Bids Bye Bye to Bill”
By faeryrowan on Jul 1, 2008 | Reply
Is he really? Well, it takes a great amount of trust and confidence and courage to be able to let other people raise your baby. Here’s a toast to Mr. Gates for bringing Microsoft into our lives (and to him getting filthy rich in the process). Hehe!