Bill Gates refuses to return full-time to Microsoft

By Tom Warren, on 13th Jun 11 9:24 am with 49 Comments

Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates has claimed he will never return to a full-time position at Microsoft.

The former Microsoft CEO is in the UK this week, attending the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) conference. Gates has participated in two interviews this week, one with the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper and the other with ITV’s Daybreak program. As the original Microsoft Founder and Chairman, Gates transitioned from full-time work at Microsoft to focus on his philanthropy in June, 2008. Bill Gates founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 1994 with an initial stock gift of $94 million. Now nearly 17 years later, the software genius is working full time as a philanthropist. He claims that his new foundation work is his focus. “My full-time work for the rest of my life is this foundation,” said Gates, followed by a flat out refusal over whether he will return to Microsoft as CEO. “No. I’m part-time involved. But this is my job now.”

Gates discusses his visions for the future during the Daily Mail interview. Pointing to a large whiteboard he claims that the future is speech and voice recognition. “You’ll be able to touch that board or speak to it and get your message to colleagues around the world. Screens are cheap.” Gates also speaks briefly about whether his children have iPads, iPhones or iPods. “They have the Windows equivalent,” he quips. “They have a Zune music player, which is a great Windows portable player. They are not deprived children.” Gates also reveals some details of his personal life. He mentions a U2 gig that he attended recently and reveals that his close friend Bono, a member of the band, stayed at his house. “We went to the concert with my daughter and three of her friends, so there were six of us and we took the minivan. I drove,” he said.

Finally, Gates dismisses any talk about his legacy. “That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard,” he says. “Legacy is a stupid thing! I don’t want a legacy. If people look and see that childhood deaths dropped from nine million a year to four million because of our investment, then wow! I liken what I’m doing now to my old job. I worked with a lot of smart people; some things went well, some didn’t go so well. But when you see how what we did ended up empowering people, it’s a very cool thing.”

  • Nirajhirachan

    cool

  • http://twitter.com/Salem309 Ahmed Salem

    I hope he insist for this. Finally Microsoft proved that it can go forward without its legend! Some other buddies can not do that yet. (e.g. Apple)

    • http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

      exactly

  • Guest

    Bill Gates is literally my hero. He is smart, forward thinking, and an overall good person.

    Microsoft will be fine without him. What he is doing now is far more important anyway.

    • Jonathan

      ditto

    • Alombelino

      And yet he was at builderburg.

    • Anonymous

      It’s “Bilderberg” – a true activist and not a lemming wanna-be would know that.

      And if there is going to be some ubersecret group of people deciding the world’s fate, you would do a lot worse than to have Bill Gates in the room.

  • http://unhub.com/eingoluq Eingoluq

    Wow he really made “Legacy” sound superficial. His ego is not dependent on such things. Jobs is such the opposite. He actually gets off on bashing competitors.
    Its like their two personalities define the mentalities of Apple and Microsoft fan-boys as well

  • Ronit Kumar

    Gates really makes Microsoft proud! Billionaires like Carlos Slim should follow his steps, to make the world a better place to live!

    P.S. -  Mr. Warren , http://download.angrybirds.com/#ABO – Angry Birds for PC, don’t you think its also worthy of mention, considering its available for even XP :)

  • Anonymous

    Such a great person that Microsoft NEEDS him. Without him, they products are going downhill. Windows 7 is better than Vista but not XP. Office is another GUI disaster. Visual Studio is a WPF trainwreck. Bill COME BACK!

    • Anonymous

      That’s nonsense.

    • Jhonny López

      That’s why he is talking as an anonymous.

    • Anonymous

      idiotic comments. windows xp is better in what? even windows 7 starts so much faster… it only takes more memory which in these days 2gb+ is enough for simple stuff.
      maybe you need open office or whatever, and it seems you dont know much about visual studio : and “downhill” sounds a bit stupid since windows 7 has been selling like pancakes. not even counting who use it cracked, so think how many people is using it, no matter the source they got it.
      but oh well you cant even post as non-anonymous… what expect from that… silly comments with no valid points.

    • Anonymous

      idiotic comments. windows xp is better in what? even windows 7 starts so much faster… it only takes more memory which in these days 2gb+ is enough for simple stuff.
      maybe you need open office or whatever, and it seems you dont know much about visual studio : and “downhill” sounds a bit stupid since windows 7 has been selling like pancakes. not even counting who use it cracked, so think how many people is using it, no matter the source they got it.
      but oh well you cant even post as non-anonymous… what expect from that… silly comments with no valid points.

    • Anonymous

      idiotic comments. windows xp is better in what? even windows 7 starts so much faster… it only takes more memory which in these days 2gb+ is enough for simple stuff.
      maybe you need open office or whatever, and it seems you dont know much about visual studio : and “downhill” sounds a bit stupid since windows 7 has been selling like pancakes. not even counting who use it cracked, so think how many people is using it, no matter the source they got it.
      but oh well you cant even post as non-anonymous… what expect from that… silly comments with no valid points.

  • Anonymous

    What did you expect? Everybody knew he would never return to a full-time job at Microsoft. Microsoft is doing great, they’re doing awesome things lately, and they will be fine without someone like Gates. 

    • http://www.winrumors.com Tom W

      It’s not surprising at all but it should put pay to those calling for him to return recently.

  • http://www.appatic.com Avatar X

     Bill Gates driving a mini-van with Bono as Co-pilot and daughter plus friends on the back to U2 concert = Gold.

    Too bad there is no video of that.

  • Anonymous

    well, it’s more than Steve Jobs cares about. Jobs probably doesn’t give a damn about any problems in the world as long as he can shove an ipad down poors people’s throat.

    • Jeff Small

      Really? Don’t you think that is just the least bit harsh? I may not like some things that other companies do, but the fact of the matter is, they are businesses.

      To say Jobs “probably doesn’t give a damn about any problems in the world” is cruel and ignorant. Are you Steve Jobs’ accountant? Do you know where he spends his money?

      Your statement is both ignorant and saddening. I hope you really don’t actually feel this way and are only posturing in your comments.

    • Jeff Small

      Really? Don’t you think that is just the least bit harsh? I may not like some things that other companies do, but the fact of the matter is, they are businesses.

      To say Jobs “probably doesn’t give a damn about any problems in the world” is cruel and ignorant. Are you Steve Jobs’ accountant? Do you know where he spends his money?

      Your statement is both ignorant and saddening. I hope you really don’t actually feel this way and are only posturing in your comments.

    • Anonymous

      Clearly Jobs spends his money on building spaceship campuses… He’s a self
      absorved narcisist and I don’t recall seeing him helping others anywhere
      near to the degree Gates and other super rich do. Sure he could, no he
      isn’t.

    • Lex

      It’s a well known fact Jobs gives very little, as a percentage of his wealth, to charities and good causes… Now I don’t resent him for selling iPads, that’s business as you say, but as an individual he is clearly not even half the man Bill Gates is!

    • Lex

      It’s a well known fact Jobs gives very little, as a percentage of his wealth, to charities and good causes… Now I don’t resent him for selling iPads, that’s business as you say, but as an individual he is clearly not even half the man Bill Gates is!

    • Lex

      It’s a well known fact Jobs gives very little, as a percentage of his wealth, to charities and good causes… Now I don’t resent him for selling iPads, that’s business as you say, but as an individual he is clearly not even half the man Bill Gates is!

    • Jeff Small

      Well known? By whom?

    • Anonymous

      By everyone!  Look it up.  Here’s one from Wired in 2006:
      http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/01/70072“…Jobs does not appear on any charitable contribution lists of note. And Jobs has said nary a word on behalf of important social issues, reserving his talents of persuasion for selling Apple products.”

      Here’s one from CNN Money in 2008:

      http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/02/news/companies/elkind_jobs.fortune/index4.htm

      “Jobs’ only serious foray into personal philanthropy was short-lived. In January 1987, after launching Next, he also, without fanfare or public notice, incorporated the Steven P. Jobs Foundation…Jobs shut down the foundation after less than 15 months.”

      Here’s one from Business Insider last year talking about how he started supporting organ donor causes…AFTER he realized his liver was failing and he’d need a new one.

      http://www.businessinsider.com/how-steve-jobs-got-sick-2010-04

  • Anonymous

    I know this is going against the grain, but I think Microsoft builds better software now than they did when Bill was running the show.  I have nothing against Bill, and I’m no Ballmer fan, but look how much the quality has improved over the last 4 years. Yes, Windows Phone wa s a year too late.  Zune, perhaps the best music service available, was horribly marketed.  The Vista luanch was a fiasco….  but the QUALITY of software coming from Microsoft is VERY good these days.

  • Anonymous

    I know this is going against the grain, but I think Microsoft builds better software now than they did when Bill was running the show.  I have nothing against Bill, and I’m no Ballmer fan, but look how much the quality has improved over the last 4 years. Yes, Windows Phone wa s a year too late.  Zune, perhaps the best music service available, was horribly marketed.  The Vista luanch was a fiasco….  but the QUALITY of software coming from Microsoft is VERY good these days.

    • http://twitter.com/oolong2 oolong2

      Not only that but the attitude of the company is much better as well.  They have become far more open with the technology community at large and humble.  They’ve done much more to embrace standards, open source, and getting feedback from the community.

      They’ve come very far from the stereotypical “evil empire” that people make them out to be.

    • Guest

      And they’re getting handed their ass as a result. Frankly, more of the old “evil empire” and less of the new “tentative, slow, excusefest”, would be a good thing.

    • http://twitter.com/oolong2 oolong2

      Not only that but the attitude of the company is much better as well.  They have become far more open with the technology community at large and humble.  They’ve done much more to embrace standards, open source, and getting feedback from the community.

      They’ve come very far from the stereotypical “evil empire” that people make them out to be.

    • http://twitter.com/oolong2 oolong2

      Not only that but the attitude of the company is much better as well.  They have become far more open with the technology community at large and humble.  They’ve done much more to embrace standards, open source, and getting feedback from the community.

      They’ve come very far from the stereotypical “evil empire” that people make them out to be.

    • http://www.favbrowser.com Vygantas Lipskas

      Agreed.

      Personally, I prefer Ballmer over Gates.

  • Mark

    Great. He’d be the wrong guy now anyway. But he’s still protecting Ballmer from being fired. That’s unforgivable. Just because he doesn’t plan on coming back and doesn’t worry to much about his legacy, doesn’t mean he should stand by while the company he founded is destroyed by repeated incompetence.

  • Tonious

    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for Nobel Peace Prize! 

  • Anonymous

    I love that the reporter interviewing Gates got one of those classic Bill responses that so many Microsoft employees were on the receiving end of over the years when they weren’t prepared and said something stupid. You could probably form a club of people who’ve been on the receiving end of “that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard” from Bill Gates. He’s still got it.

    And Microsoft is doing fine in all areas except for growth of stock price and there are reasons for that, but frankly I’m glad they haven’t focused on the stock price and are instead taking the steps they need to get the company positioned for the future. There is no question that the transition of Gates from fulltime employee to just Chair of the Board was not smooth and that Ballmer loitered in pruning where he needed and focusing the company on its three screens and a cloud strategy. The lingering effect of the the DOJ settlement also played a role in the company being tentative and seemingly unfocused. I think all of these problems have been addressed in the last year or so and Microsoft is well on its way to renewed growth.

    Finally, what Steve Jobs does or does not do with his wealth is his business and it is really unfair to compare CEOs in that way.  

    • Guest

      “I think all of these problems have been addressed in the last year or so and Microsoft is well on its way to renewed growth.”

      Like, for example, their speedy response to iPad? Or the smooth and efficient WP7 update process? Neither suggests that MS has finally gotten their act together.

      And where exactly do you see this renewed growth coming from with PC shipments stagnating and competition intensifying (both within PCs, with Chrome, Android, WebOS, and of course OS X, and from alternative devices like mobile and tablets)? Are you hoping that Search is going to suddenly break out after losing billions and growing at a modest pace for years? Is Xbox going to ramp in some unexpected way and start driving a decent margin instead of a tiny one? Are CRM and ERP about to do the heavy lifting after years of trailing Salesforce and other leaders? Is Azure going to take off any time soon? Is a reversal of fortune for WP7 share imminent and some sort of new revenue generation opportunity so that mobile will make a material addition to MS’s revenue and profit growth?

    • Anonymous

      “Finally, what Steve Jobs does or does not do with his wealth is his business and it is really unfair to compare CEOs in that way.”

      I disagree completely.  If two people came across a man who was dying, and one walked on by while the other stopped to help, would it be unfair to compare the two?  Would it be unfair to judge one as a hero and the other as apathetic?  That’s how I see it.  Steve Jobs has the potential to help millions of people (and not just the ones who can afford his tech products), yet there is no evidence that he does, or that he even wants to.  

      What Steve does with his wealth is his business, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to ignore the fact that he contributes far less to the world than his peers.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ahmad-AbdulLateef/100000511909755 Ahmad AbdulLateef

    GOD Bless this man and his family and all his endevours

  • Anonymous

    Ah, the classic “That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard”

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