Microsoft announces Bill Gates' retirement

[kpete]

Gates announces retirement from Microsoft

RAW STORY
Published: Thursday June 15, 2006

Founder and CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates intends to step down in two years, according to today's Wall Street Journal.

Excerpts follow:

Mr. Gates, 50 years old, started Microsoft in 1975 with childhood friend Paul Allen. Mr. Gates served as chairman and CEO until 2000, when Mr. Ballmer took over as CEO. In 2000, with his wife, he formed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whose assets now are $29.1 billion.

The company announced that Chief Technical Officer Ray Ozzie will immediately assume the title of chief software architect, a role Mr. Gates has held for several years.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Gates_announces_retirement_from_Microsoft_0615.html

[RevCheesehead]

1. I guess all those Mac commercials finally got to him.

:evilgrin:

[IsIt1984Yet]

2. Yes, in 2008 - to work on GOOD stuff

Bill Gates will step down from his day-to-day duties at the software giant in July 2008 to focus on his nonprofit foundation.

The Gates Foundation rocks!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

3. Shit, If I Was Worth That Much My Ass Would Retire Too.

Good for him and I'm quite sure he'll enjoy the heck out of retirement.

[William769]

4. I wish him and his wife the best!

May he take his Billions and retire in style.

P.S. Mr. Gates please keep up the good work on all your charities.

[MadHound]

5. So Gates is going to take the path that other robber barons before him

Have traveled. Now that he's made his obscene amounts of money, cutting throats right and left, breaking the law here and there, he's going to "retire" and devote his energy to shoring up his legacy for the history books by giving a relatively small portion of his wealth away. Taking a page out of the playbook of Carnegie, Mellon, Morgan and the other "great" robber barons.

Whoopee:eyes:

[sypher]

7. huh?

"by giving a relatively small portion of his wealth away." :wtf:

Dude has given away billions in grants for health care and education.

[MadHound]

12. And he is worth tens of billions of dollars

And will continue to recieve even more tens of billions of dollars in his retirement due to stock portfolios and other investments.

Sorry, but Bill doesn't impress me with his wealth or his charity. While I'm happy that he is deigning to give some of it back for the public good, he screwed entirely too many people on his way to the top to have his sins absolved by any amount of charity he gives away.

[IsIt1984Yet]

14. So, his wealth offsets all of the good he does?

:eyes:

Yeah, he's trying to impress MadHound from DU. Psshhh.... get a grip.

[MadHound]

18. Go study your history friend, read up on the robber barons of old

Notice how after they had gotten done trampling everybody and everything in their path towards money and power, they tried to make up for it by giving money away, trying to absolve their sins. Gates is doing the same thing for the same reasons. But no matter how much money he gives away, it still won't absolve him in the end.

[IsIt1984Yet]

22. Whatever. Bitterness makes people ugly.

I know "history".

So, better he hoarde the billions and live like The Bushies??

The Gates Foundation is AMAZING and any denial of that is completely fucked up.

[William769]

27. You should study History my friend

The Gates foundation has been giving money away almost from the beginning!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. From what I've understood...

Gates has stated he plans to give away the vast majority of his wealth before he dies.

[IsIt1984Yet]

19. That's a fact. In fact, his kids already have trust funds... modest, by

his measures... of 10 million each. The remainder of his estate will go to the Gates Foundation.

[MadHound]

20. That's nice and all,

But again, it still won't absolve him of all the sins he committed in his climb to the top.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. Oh, sure, he was a real cutthroat businessman.

But then again, his competitors were real cutthroat business men who'd have done the same thing in Gates' place. Would they have given away their fortunes?

[IsIt1984Yet]

23. Are you God? Has he asked for YOUR "absolution".

:wtf: his foundation does great things, but you "poo-poo" that - whatever.

[William769]

28. Green with envy I suppose (no pun intended).

[IsIt1984Yet]

9. He's going to spend more time working on the Gates Foundation.

You know... that little foundation that he's raised over 750 BILLION dollars for.

Good for him and his family!

[MadHound]

16. Yes, he's raised lots of money, and given away billions

Mellon, Caragie, Morgan and other robber barons did the same thing when they "retired". It still didn't make up for the many crimes they committed, the people who they screwed over, or the damage that they did. Gates falls into the same category. Frankly I'm more impressed by the person who makes minimum wage and gives ten percent of their income to charity than whatever billions that Gates gives away. At least the minimum wage person is sincerely caring, while Bill is just trying to polish up his tawdry legacy.

[William769]

29. To have that much hate built up in oneself, is NOT healthy!

[Tactical Progressive]

24. You got that right

Gates and Ballmer are the business equivalent of Bush and Cheney in politics as far as ethics and honesty go.

They were the heroes of the nascent personal computer revolution, and they turned on everybody with their thuggish power, lying, cheating and stealing their way to the top.

I will say that outside the Microsoft personna, Gates is probably a relatively good guy, as exemplified by his outside charity work which seems like a real cause to him, unlike Bush and Cheney who are comprehensively corrupt to the core.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. It would be better if Bill Gates announced Microsoft's retirement

!!

[EC]

8. Maybe he's getting into politics

he's mentioned in MadHouse, haven't gotten to that part yet, but I'm guessing he ain't a good guy....

[IsIt1984Yet]

10. He's not getting into politics, he's going to work on the Gates Foundation

[lpbk2713]

11. He's got 12 years before he can apply for Social Security.

I hope he can make it.


:eyes:

[Riga Marole]

13. Microsoft must have competitors!

[high density]

15. He knows that Windows Vista is going to suck hard

It looks like it's going to be the most useless OS since WinME.

[William769]

30. I am running Windows Vista (beta 2) right now on my computer,

AND IT ROCKS!

Did you know that Windows Vista (Beta 2) in the week that it has been released has already been given the title of the most downloaded software ever? So much for it sucking! :rofl:

ON EDIT: spelling.

[geniph]

25. I always thought Paul Allen was the smarter of the two

because he had the sense to retire and have fun with his billions, instead of going to work every morning and (I kid you not) stopping at 7-11 to buy coffee on the way! People who keep working when they already have billions baffle me - how much money does anyone need, anyway? Me, I'd retire the minute I had enough money not to starve.

[IsIt1984Yet]

26. Well "smarter" is relative...

he's a pretty "hands-on" guy with a TON of ideas. In addition, you mentioned the 7-11 stops... he's a pretty "regular guy". Also, like you said... how much money does a person need?? Well, thankfully Gates uses a TON of that for good; real good that some "dismiss" because of his sheer wealth. However, the Gates Foundation is simply amazing in its intent. And, to hear Gates, in person, speak of it, is quite moving - it's so near and dear to their hearts.