Bill Gates Retires Today, Sort Of

New York Times:

Bill Gates is retiring, sort of. He is still only 52, and he is going off to spend more time guiding the world's richest philanthropy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He will still be Microsoft's chairman and largest shareholder, but Friday is his last day as a full-time worker at the software giant, marking the unofficial end of his career as a business leader.

And what a career it has been. Mr. Gates has been an animating force behind the personal computer revolution, helping to build a huge global industry and engineer blockbuster products like Windows and Office, used every day in offices and homes around the world.

For a broader glimpse into the future of tech, read about the future of Microsoft after Gates and the future of Apple after Steve Jobs.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Waterbug]

11:19 AM on 06/28/2008

Those who know even a small amount about science, engineering, and/or the computer industry acknowledge that Microsoft is a great innovator. Microsoft engineers design and develop new features and products daily, and Microsoft has been granted thousands of patents for these innovations. Microsoft’s mission is to build great software to help people make a difference in the world, as reflected in the tag line, “Your potential, our passion”.

Bill Gates follows the Rockefeller model of philanthropy. He focuses on critical areas heavily underfunded by the government, such as ending extreme poverty, addressing global health crises (i.e., AIDS and malaria), and investing in education. He models the way for all of us -- give and help make the world a better place. Bill Gates is a true hero. I wish him great success and joy in this next phase of his life.

Here’ a good interview with Brokaw: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25408564#25408564

[OneVoiceInACrowd]

05:10 PM on 06/27/2008

Good Bye Bill-- Thanks for all the critical beeps.

No seriously, happy retirement, if that is what it is called?

[hypnus]

05:02 PM on 06/27/2008

55 The specified network resource or device is no longer available.

[mmckinl]

05:00 PM on 06/27/2008

Bill Gates Secret to Success: Cheating

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/beat_the_press_archive?month=06&year=2008&base_name=bill_gates_secret_to_success_c

Yes indeed Dean Baker explains how Bill Gates monopolized the market, and why he should be in prison!

[RoseMerry]

02:10 PM on 06/27/2008

I am so sick of the media laud this pile of semi-human offal as a technological genius. Technology might be his product but he NEVER was an innovator. In fact, MS-DOS sat back the whole computer industry about 10 or 15 years - it charged on to the scene with it's single task structure when there were many multitasking operating systems. But Gates was becomes a tick on the behind of I.B.M. and suck a lot of green blood from that old dawg. Microsoft did not come out with a TRUE multitasking operating system until Windows NT.

Gates is a genius at predatory business practices. He took advantage of the smoke and mirrors of hi-tech marketing and regime that forget all history of anti-trust laws and stitched together his Monster from the flesh of small companies that he was able to buy.

And Microsoft has created the two biggest security risk in computer history - Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook. They made a million criminals happy with that and provided a way for government to invade your private lives without restraint or warrant.

Gates is no hero. He belongs in prison.

[michelv]

04:36 PM on 06/27/2008

Points all of us who know even a little about the computer and software industry wholeheartedly agree with!

Gates has ruined so many promising ideas, individuals, and companies, that he has a reserved spot in hell with his name on it. The only reason he is spending on charity a tiny fraction of the billions he has ripped off from the world is to try to avoid eternal condemnation, perhaps gain some visitation rights to paradise. Yes, he is trying to buy off god. And yes, I bet god is up for sale for the right price.

[kellygrrrl]

05:00 PM on 06/27/2008

well, I'm not a techie, so I would not comment either way. I'm sure you guys are right

but I am humanitarian -- and any wealthy human who is doing great humanitarian work gets applause from me. It's not my place to judge Angelina Jolie or Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, but I sure do appreciate that they put their money where there mouth is

[Soothsayer08]

01:27 PM on 06/27/2008

Must be nice to be a billlionaire. He should now try to use his expertise in trying to solve our energy crisis.

[bikerdude]

01:57 PM on 06/27/2008

He seems to have a lot on his plate already and there are or should be experts in that field who can feel the urgency of the energy crisis. Why would his expertise be special in this field?

[Nathan1960]

12:17 PM on 06/27/2008

Thanks Mr Gates for changing the world.

But before you go can you recall VISTA and burn every copy!!!

[bikerdude]

01:58 PM on 06/27/2008

I'd gladly take a copy of XP and send Vista back to Microsoft.

[LibRS]

12:06 PM on 06/27/2008

The man who physically looked like a wimp but was actually a fierce competitor. A lesson that looks can be deceiving. One thing for sure, he changed the world.

[southafrica4obama]

11:36 AM on 06/27/2008

It seems dropouts are somehow blessed. They become richer than us who stayed the course and graduated. Even high school dropouts are millionaires, whilst we struggle paying back college loans. Damn.

[revko]

10:44 AM on 06/27/2008

ctrl-alt-dlt

[kellygrrrl]

05:02 PM on 06/27/2008

that's cute!

[CaptainHowdy]

08:49 AM on 06/27/2008

Buh Bye...