Gates Announces 2008 Departure from Microsoft

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and one of the leaders of the computer revolution, announced late last week that he was going to end his day-to-day involvement in the company by July 2008. The effect this will have on the firm is less than one would normally expect because Mr. Gates is not really as involved now as he used to be. Indeed, he gave up the CEO post six years ago. If anything, his departure could mean a burst of vibrancy at Microsoft.

As regular readers know, this journal is produced using Linux as the operating system and Open Office to do the word processing. Microsoft products are not part of the deal. There is no function in the computing world that Microsoft does that isn’t done as well or better by open source code. Although 90% of the world’s computers run on Microsoft code, one has no idea why. Why pay for a bug-infested, unstable operating system when a stable, virtually virus-proof OS can be had for free?

That said, Mr. Gates and his company are the standard by which such judgments are made. That is a testament to his influence in the world. Money, frankly, is merely a quantitative measure of the effect Microsoft has had on computing. His departure is, however, well-timed and if he truly devotes his next couple of decades to philanthropy, one can only hope others follow his example.

When any organization has its founder in place for a great many years, there is a tendency to cut off lateral and creative thinking. That’s a pity, but it is human nature. By leaving, Mr. Gates is offering his senior management, people who share his ambitions for Microsoft, a chance to try things in ways not necessarily his. Pent up creativity, when released, can be a awesome force.

And if not, Mr. Gates is still young enough, and as the huge shareholder he is, still engaged enough to set things on a different course if the next generation doesn’t measure up. The stock lost a few cents in after hours trading upon news of his leave-taking, but it wasn’t a melt down. That is a vote of confidence in the thousands of people who work for Mr. Gates. And so it should be. After all, writing all those security patches takes talent.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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