Tauseef Sarwar
Its been almost 45 years since Bill Gates and his friend Paul Allen started Microsoft. Gates now has announced his decision in a LinkedIn post that he is stepping down from the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway.
Although, Gates has not actively participated in day-to-day decision making at Microsoft ever since he stepped down as CEO in 2008 handling over the controls of affairs to Steve Balmer who was later succeeded by Satya Nadella.
Gates wants to spend his all-time in looking after Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, founded by the Gates family (Husband and wife) in 2000. Gates also stated in his LinkedIn statement that he is not abandoning Microsoft. He will be there when needed.
“Microsoft will always be an important part of my life’s work and I will continue to be engaged with Satya and the technical leadership to help shape the vision and achieve the company’s ambitious goals.” Bill Gates
Microsoft CEO Nadella later issued a comment in a Microsoft press statement.
It’s been a tremendous honor and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years. The board has benefited from Bill’s leadership and vision. And Microsoft will continue to benefit from Bill’s ongoing technical passion and advice to drive our products and services forward.
I am grateful for Bill’s friendship and look forward to continuing to work alongside him to realize our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
Speaking about stepping down from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Bill Gates said.
“Serving on the Berkshire board has been one of the greatest honors of my career. Warren and I were the best of friends long before I joined and will be long after.”
