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Bill Gates Leaves Microsoft Board

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SAN FRANCISCO (awp / dpa) – Microsoft announced Friday that its co-founder, Bill Gates, is leaving the board of the computer giant to devote more time to philanthropy.

The billionaire had already moved away from daily operations over ten years ago to get involved in his foundation, which bears his name and that of his wife, Melinda Gates.

He founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and has been on the board since 2014.

“It has been an immense honor and privilege to work and learn with Bill over the years,” said group boss Satya Nadella in a statement.

“Bill founded our business with the belief in the democratic power of software and a passion for solving the most pressing challenges in our society. Microsoft and the world are better because of him,” he added.

The second richest man in the world (after Jeff Bezos, and before Warren Buffet, according to the 2019 ranking of Forbes), will keep the functions of technical advisor to the leaders of the company.

Bill Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters, his father William, a lawyer, and the late mother, Mary, teacher and president of an NGO, United Way International.

Computer lover, he started coding when he was 13 years old.

At 20, with the approval of his parents, he left Harvard to launch “Micro-soft” (“soft” refers to the software, in English) with his childhood friend Paul Allen.

Monopoly

The company’s success can be explained in particular by the priority given to software licenses sold to numerous computer manufacturers.

With the development of the personal computer, more and more users of a machine at work or at home then become used to using Microsoft software.

The Redmond group, next to Seattle, has thus become the widely dominant software giant.

Its near monopoly led to a resounding anti-rust trial at the turn of the 21st century. To avoid dismantling, Microsoft had to accept several years of government surveillance.

Bill Gates gave him his place as general manager in 2000 to Steve Ballmer to devote himself to philanthropy.

Then in 2014 he gave up the title of president, when Satya Nadella became the third boss of the group.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is involved on several humanitarian fronts around the world, from education to climate change. She is particularly known for her efforts in health.

“This decision is not surprising because it has been more than a decade since Gates has focused on its myriad of humanitarian initiatives worldwide,” said Daniel Ives, analyst at Wedbush, in a note to investors.

“He is a historic figure in the world of technology and his legacy will be felt in Redmond for decades to come.

gc-juj / cjc

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