Zavistan
16-06-2006, 01:42
Yes, Bill Gates is stepping back his duties at Microsoft to focus on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation... heres the article.
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2006/06/15/gates-ballmer-ozzie_cz_vb_0615livefromredmond.html
Redmond, Wash. -
Bets started flying just after lunch.
"It's Steve," said one journalist.
"No way," responded one.
"You called it first," quipped another.
Let me back up.
A few weeks ago, Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) executives asked a group of journalists to come up to the company's Redmond, Wash., headquarters for a chat with top executives. No big agenda, we were told. "Off the record" was the rule. And keep it quiet. Microsoft executives simply wanted to communicate their vision for the company to journalists in a cozy setting.
Or not.
On Thursday, we had an hour-long lunch with execs Jeff Rakes, who runs the business software division; Robbie Bach, who heads the Entertainment division; and Kevin Johnson, who heads Windows and Microsoft's various Web divisions.
Then we were told to clear our schedules: News "with a capital N" was on the way. Most of us figured someone big was on his way out. (For the record, my money was on Bill.)
Thirty minutes later, in a studio just next door to Microsoft's Visitor Center, Chairman Bill Gates wistfully announced his plans to step back his duties at Microsoft--in two years--and spend more time working with his $29.1 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"Obviously, this decision was a hard one for me to make," he said. "Why talk about this today? It gives us the time to make a strong transition." Steve Ballmer, Gates' long-time business partner and Microsoft's chief executive, sat steps away in the first row.
"Steve is the best CEO for Microsoft I could imagine," Gates said. Ballmer, better known for energetic fist-pumping than tender moments, gave a rueful smile. "I couldn't ask for a better business partner or better friend," Gates added. Ballmer's jaw muscles tensed.
Microsoft's senior leadership, including Rakes, Bach, Johnson, Jim Allchin and Steven Sinofsky, looked on from the back row.
So what happens when a man so inextricably linked to a company decides he wants to move on?
In short, not much for now. Gates will be around for a while, training the two guys it will take to fill his shoes. Ray Ozzie, 50, who joined Microsoft just over a year ago, takes the top technical role. Craig Mundie, who at 56 is a 14-year veteran of the company, takes on a newly created title: chief of research and strategy. He'll work closely with Gates on the research side of things while Ozzie devotes his time to product strategy and development.
In the early 1980s, as the man behind Lotus, Ozzie was one of Gates' fiercest rivals. But while that makes for good copy, there's a practical benefit to his history as well, he told me Thursday afternoon: "When you compete with someone, you have to understand the nuances of their strengths and vulnerabilities. I came in with a view of things I want to fix."
But some things likely won't change, like Microsoft's mind-numbing corporate speak. When Ozzie first joined Microsoft, he had to craft a small notebook of company acronyms to help him get through meetings. Now, he says, "I'm fully assimilated. And I bought a place in Seattle. It will be ready in 2008."
Gates has given himself two years to make the transition. How long has he been working on it? In March, Gates told the company's other leaders he wanted to present a transition plan to the board. He met with the board this Tuesday with that plan in hand.
But the discussions inside Microsoft have been going on for years. Once a year, in fact, the company's top leaders talk succession, and not just for the top guys. Every major role needs a staffer waiting in the wings. "We've been doing this exercise in abstract for a while," Mundie says. "[Gates and Ballmer] both recognize there is an opportunity, but also a dislocation in the change."
So what do people think this means for Microsoft?
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2006/06/15/gates-ballmer-ozzie_cz_vb_0615livefromredmond.html
Redmond, Wash. -
Bets started flying just after lunch.
"It's Steve," said one journalist.
"No way," responded one.
"You called it first," quipped another.
Let me back up.
A few weeks ago, Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) executives asked a group of journalists to come up to the company's Redmond, Wash., headquarters for a chat with top executives. No big agenda, we were told. "Off the record" was the rule. And keep it quiet. Microsoft executives simply wanted to communicate their vision for the company to journalists in a cozy setting.
Or not.
On Thursday, we had an hour-long lunch with execs Jeff Rakes, who runs the business software division; Robbie Bach, who heads the Entertainment division; and Kevin Johnson, who heads Windows and Microsoft's various Web divisions.
Then we were told to clear our schedules: News "with a capital N" was on the way. Most of us figured someone big was on his way out. (For the record, my money was on Bill.)
Thirty minutes later, in a studio just next door to Microsoft's Visitor Center, Chairman Bill Gates wistfully announced his plans to step back his duties at Microsoft--in two years--and spend more time working with his $29.1 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"Obviously, this decision was a hard one for me to make," he said. "Why talk about this today? It gives us the time to make a strong transition." Steve Ballmer, Gates' long-time business partner and Microsoft's chief executive, sat steps away in the first row.
"Steve is the best CEO for Microsoft I could imagine," Gates said. Ballmer, better known for energetic fist-pumping than tender moments, gave a rueful smile. "I couldn't ask for a better business partner or better friend," Gates added. Ballmer's jaw muscles tensed.
Microsoft's senior leadership, including Rakes, Bach, Johnson, Jim Allchin and Steven Sinofsky, looked on from the back row.
So what happens when a man so inextricably linked to a company decides he wants to move on?
In short, not much for now. Gates will be around for a while, training the two guys it will take to fill his shoes. Ray Ozzie, 50, who joined Microsoft just over a year ago, takes the top technical role. Craig Mundie, who at 56 is a 14-year veteran of the company, takes on a newly created title: chief of research and strategy. He'll work closely with Gates on the research side of things while Ozzie devotes his time to product strategy and development.
In the early 1980s, as the man behind Lotus, Ozzie was one of Gates' fiercest rivals. But while that makes for good copy, there's a practical benefit to his history as well, he told me Thursday afternoon: "When you compete with someone, you have to understand the nuances of their strengths and vulnerabilities. I came in with a view of things I want to fix."
But some things likely won't change, like Microsoft's mind-numbing corporate speak. When Ozzie first joined Microsoft, he had to craft a small notebook of company acronyms to help him get through meetings. Now, he says, "I'm fully assimilated. And I bought a place in Seattle. It will be ready in 2008."
Gates has given himself two years to make the transition. How long has he been working on it? In March, Gates told the company's other leaders he wanted to present a transition plan to the board. He met with the board this Tuesday with that plan in hand.
But the discussions inside Microsoft have been going on for years. Once a year, in fact, the company's top leaders talk succession, and not just for the top guys. Every major role needs a staffer waiting in the wings. "We've been doing this exercise in abstract for a while," Mundie says. "[Gates and Ballmer] both recognize there is an opportunity, but also a dislocation in the change."
So what do people think this means for Microsoft?