William Henry Gates III, Mr Microsoft (not exactly the best nickname but who cares when you are as rich as he is) has announced that he will be stepping down from holding the helm of Microsoft for approximately 33 years.
During those times, Microsoft has evolved from being literally a garage software experiment to a multi-billion dollar behemoth. Although Bill started Microsoft fueled by his passion to put a computer into every single household in the world, it was his shrewd business acumen that ultimately put this little company from Albuquerque, New Mexico in the world map.
Bill Gates in 1983
Today Bill will actually be moving on to his new-found passion – philanthropy. Shifting his focus on The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, I suppose it is respectable to say that the person who is well known the world over as the richest person has finally had enough of money and is planning to give a bulk of it away to those who are in need of it.
Bill Gates in Time Magazine 1999
If you have not read this Newsweek piece, get it here.
Essentially what Bill Gates is doing is truly respectable and I believe that not many people in this world will have the courage and discipline to realize when they actually have enough money. I suppose this could be a living and breathing specimen of “self actualization”? No?
Gates & Buffett giving their money away
Anyway, what is interesting is that many of the technology analysts have said that Microsoft has passed its prime and now is time for companies such as Google to take over the virtual realm. It does feel like in the past couple of years, share of voice for Microsoft has not been as loud as Google. It will be interesting to see how this duel will turned out to be in the upcoming years as Google intends to dominate the websphere while Microsoft is actively seeking the “right” company to buy in order to compete against Google.
Having said that, it does feel as though Microsoft is slowly losing some of its dominance while numerous other start-ups are slowly dissecting the many services that are being provided / sold by Microsoft and making them better instead. Even established companies have jumped on the bandwagon in an attempt to dethrone the stranglehold that Microsoft holds in the world of technology.
Either way, I suppose Bill Gates will be busy with giving his money away; albeit for a good cause and in a way that doesn’t sound too bad either.
Well wishes to a man that has changed the way we live in more ways than one.
Filed under: Life, Philanthropy, Technology | Tagged: Albuquerque, Berkshire, Bill, Billion, Buffett, Computer, Courage, Foundation, Gates, Google, Hathaway, Melinda, Microsoft, Money, Office, Philanthropy, Redmond, Self Actualization, Technology, Virtual, Warren, Windows
cool…