Microsoft has announced that Bill Gates, co-founder, will leave the board of directors of the IT giant to devote more time to charity.
The billionaire walked away from the group's daily operations more than a decade ago to activate the activities of his foundation bearing his name and wife Melinda Gates.
It is reported that he co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and has been part of its Board of Directors since 2014.
"We have had the honor and privilege to work with Bell and learn from him throughout these years," group president Satya Nadela said in a statement.
"Bill founded our company, convinced of the democratic strength of programming and passion for solving the most pressing problems in our society. Microsoft and the world are in a better position thanks to it," he added.
Gates, who is the second richest person in the world (after Jeff Bezos and before Warren Buffett according to the classification of "Forbes" magazine for the year 2019), will maintain his duties as a technical advisor to the leaders of the group.
Bill Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters, his father, William, the lawyer, and his late mother, Mary, who worked as a teacher and headed the non-governmental organization United Way International.
Gates, who is passionate about computers, started working in electronic coding since he was thirteen.
At the age of twenty, he left Harvard University, with his parents ’consent to found Microsoft with childhood friend Paul Allen.
The company’s success is due in particular to the priority accorded to software licenses sold to many computer manufacturers.
With the development of the personal computer, more and more users are getting used to Microsoft software.
The group, based in Redmond, near Seattle, has become the dominant player in the software sector.
The near-monopoly situation in the software market cost Microsoft a litany at the turn of the current millennium. To avoid dismantling it, Microsoft had to agree to submit to government oversight for several years.
Bill Gates left the position of Microsoft General Manager in 2000 for Steve Ballmer to devote his time to charity.
Then, in 2014, he gave up the title of President when Satya Nadela became the Group's third president.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation works on many fronts on humanitarian activities in the world, from education to climate change. She is especially known for her efforts in the health field.
"This decision is not surprising because Gates has focused for more than a decade on his multiple humanitarian initiatives around the world," commented Daniel Ives, a widow at Widbusch, in a message to investors.
"He is a historical figure in the tech world and will remain a legacy in Redmond for decades to come," he said.