Bill Gates in 2018. – Jose Luis Magana / AP / SIPA
A page turns at an IT giant. Microsoft announced on Friday that Bill gates was leaving his board of directors to devote more time to philanthropy. He founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and has been on the board since 2014.
Always functions of technical advisor
“It has been an immense honor and privilege to work and learn with Bill for all these years,” said group boss Satya Nadella. “Bill founded our company with the conviction of the democratic power of software and a passion for solving the most urgent difficulties of 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), had already moved away from daily operations more than ten years ago to get involved in its foundation , who bears his name and that of his wife, Melinda Gates. He will however 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 the age of 20, with the approval of his parents, he left Harvard to launch “Micro-soft” with his childhood friend Paul Allen.
Abuse of dominant position
The company’s success can be explained in particular by the priority given to software sold to many 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 antitrust lawsuit 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.
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