Microsoft confirms Bill Gates leaves its board of directors

When Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in January 2000, we all knew he would keep several high-profile positions in the company. Over time, however, we've seen him much more focused — and why not interested — on his philanthropic work. Today, the Redmond giant confirmed through a brief announcement that Bill Gates will leave his board seat to devote himself almost full-time to his foundation, alongside his wife Melinda.

Another historic moment has just occurred within the Redmond giant, though without the impact or magnitude of past eras. Today, Microsoft is a completely different company, prioritizing its vision of software as a service and its cloud resources. Classic tools are also being left behind. There's no need to say more about the formal retirement of Windows 7, but changes even reach things like Visual Basic, which, although it will have support in .NET 5.0, will not receive new features or evolve as a language.

In summary, it is the end of an era, and the same can be said about Bill Gates and his participation on the board of directors. Many indicate that position was little more than honorary, and that the magnate turned philanthropist is dedicated almost entirely to the efforts of his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but today he has decided to give it a touch of formality.

Through a brief statement, Redmond confirmed Gates's departure from the board, mentioning his retirement from daily activities in 2008, and the end of his board chairmanship in 2014. However, the announcement is not limited to Microsoft. Gates also left the board of Berkshire Hathaway, a conglomerate whose CEO is another magnate and philanthropist, Warren Buffett.

The current CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, dedicated a few words to Bill, highlighting that "it has been a tremendous honor and privilege" to have worked and learned from him in recent years. He also added that the company "will continue to benefit" from Bill's passion, advice, and technical knowledge to further improve its products and services. In other words, Gates will remain a technology advisor to Nadella and the rest of the leaders at Microsoft.

Source: CNN Official announcement: Click here