Friday, June 27th is Gates final day on the job as an employee of Microsoft, the company he’s been with for 33 years. It’s been a career full of much turmoil and more than a few industry-shaking quakes, but an immensely important one. If nothing else, Gates personally proved that business savvy was just as crucial as technical smarts in the high-tech war that continues to rage today. Gates was (and remains) a master of both.
In an era when many tech CEOs have no idea what their company really does, Gates has long been a hands-on anomaly. Back in the ’70s, he personally reviewed every line of code that Microsoft engineers wrote. If he didn’t like what he saw, he rewrote it on the spot. As DOS and Windows grew to mammoth proportions, such oversight became impossible, but Gates continued to weigh in on all matters great and small that faced the company. Getting comments back from Gates on a product submitted for his approval has long been one of Microsofties’ most terrifying moments.
What happens now? Gates heads off with wife Melinda to focus on his mega-zillion-dollar endowed charity, the Gates Foundation, while Microsoft looks toward an era of getting on without him. The 52-year-old Gates will reportedly check in once a week (specifically to aid in the company’s battle vs. Google) and will remain a non-executive Chairman, but it’s up to CEO Steve Ballmer and Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie to keep the ship afloat.
Here’s an iconic photo of Microsoft’s original team, back when 11 worked for the company. Bill’s the bottom left one! The group reformed for a follow-up shot earlier this month. Check it out here with little bit of teary nostalgia. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Good luck out there Bill.
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