BILL GATES LEAVES MICROSOFT

GATES leaves Microsoft board, will devote more time to Philanthropy.
Microsoft on Friday announced that co-founder Bill Gates has lefts its board of directors to devote more time to philanthropy.

The 64-year-old stopped being involved in day-to-day operations at the firm more than a decade ago, turning his attention to the foundation he launched with his wife, Melinda.

Gates served as a chairman of Microsoft's board of directors until 2014 and has now stepped away entirely, according to the Redmond based technology giant.
''It's been a tremendous honour and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years,'' Microsoft chief executive and company veteran Satya Nadella said in a press release.

''Bill founded our company with the belief that in the democratising force of software and a passion to solve society's most pressing challenges; and Microsoft and the world are better for it.''

Nadella said Microsoft would continue to benefit from Gates ''technical passion and advice'' in the continuing role as a technical adviser.
''I am grateful for Bill's friendship and look forward to continuing to work alongside him,'' Nadella said.

Computing and Compassion

Gates left his CEO position in 2000, handing the companies reins to Steve Ballmer to devote more time to his charitable foundation. He gave up the role of the chairman at the same time Nadella became Microsoft's third CEO in 2014.

Regularly listed among the world's richest people, William H Gates was a geeky-looking young man when he and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft in 1975.

Gates grew up in Seattle with two sisters. His father William was an attorney and late mother Mary was a schoolteacher and chairwoman of United Way International.

He began programming computers as a 13 year-old student, and fell in love with the machines.  Among the tales told about Gates is while working on school computers, he tinkered with programming to put himself in classes made up mostly of girls.

With his parents blessing, Gates dropped out out of Harvard to start ''Micro-soft'' with his late childhood friend Allen. [AFP]