Bill Gates stepping down in 2008

Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates has made his announcement to step down from the company's daily operations in 2008. He would be focussing time and energy to his charity organisation 'Bill & Melinda Foundation' which benifits education, healthcare and poor children. He would play a much reduced role in Microsoft as its Chairman and has prepared for transition of Ray Ozzie towards CSA. The company which he co-founded with Paul Allen thirty years back, has achieved unparalleled success in the computer industry and positioned him as the richest man in the world worth tens of billions of dollars. In the company's early days, Bill was known to interview every single candidate for the job and review every line of code before software releases

His decision comes at a very critical period for Microsoft, where its facing severe competition in the Internet domain from rivals Apple and Google. New leadership at the helm would provide an opportunity for fresh ideas in the company. The time period for the transition is also well planned as it calms investors concerns.