Bill Gates’ emotional farewell

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said a teary goodbye to the software maker he built into the world’s most valuable technology company as he moved on to spend time with his charity foundation.

Gates, who will become a non-executive chairman and work part-time, joined chief executive Steve Ballmer at the company’s Redmond campus to deliver a short speech and field questions from employees. The former chairman plans to dedicate most of is time to a charity foundation he founded with his wife, which promotes vaccines and business loans for people in developing countries.

“There won’t be a day in my life that I’m not thinking about Microsoft and the great things that it’s doing and wanting to help,” said Gates, who wiped away tears as a group of employees rose to give him a standing ovation.

The 52-year-old is a household name with many labels – genius, technology guru, visionary, the world’s third-richest man (for years he was the richest), owner of an evil empire, coveter of knowledge and philanthropist.

He remains a point of fascination. Bill Gates is Microsoft.

The transition at the helm of his company has been planned for two years and Gates will not be enjoying a gold watch-style retirement.

He tapped into his inner nerd to create a spoof of his last day at work, a popular online video on YouTube, where he hassles Steven Spielberg to make a movie about him, begs Bono for a spot in the U2 line-up, proposes being Democrat Barack Obama’s presidential running mate, and works out with Hollywood heart-throb Matthew McConaughey.

In reality, instead of being Microsoft’s executive chairman, he will become the non-executive chairman and remain a part-time technical adviser. He remains the company’s largest shareholder and plans to spend the equivalent of one day a week at the Microsoft offices.

His symbolic departure comes as the Microsoft halo has slipped. The Seattle-based company, which turns over about $US1 billion a week in global sales, is facing market challenges and fighting to rebuild its battered image.

After a time in Beijing for the Olympics, Gates, who is worth $US58 billion, plans to channel his considerable energy and brainpower into more altruistic pursuits, working on the philanthropic institution he established with his wife in 2000, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He told Newsweek he has a particular fascination with AIDS and malaria.

The foundation is bankrolled by the Gates, with a considerable injection of billions from his close friend and the world’s richest man, US investor Warren Buffet.

The foundation’s $US37.3 billion endowment makes it the world’s richest philanthropic institution to fight global health problems and improve education.

ITNewsAfrica.com