NPRao
16th June 2006, 02:33
Microsoft's Gates to Leave Daily Role
By ALLISON LINN
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates announced Thursday that he will transition from day-to-day responsibilities at the company he co-founded to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gates will continue on as the company's chairman after transferring his duties over a two-year period.
This was a hard decision for me,'' said Gates, who founded the world's largest software company with childhood friend Paul Allen. ``I'm very lucky to have two passions that I feel are so important and so challenging. As I prepare for this change, I firmly believe the road ahead for Microsoft is as bright as ever.''
MICROSOFT CORP
Stock Ticker Chart
NASDAQ:MSFT Updated: 16:00 ET 22.07 +0.19
Microsoft's Chief Technical Officer Ray Ozzie will immediately assume Gate's title as chief software architect and begin working side by side with Gates on overseeing all software technical design.
Chief Technical Officer Craig Mundie will immediately take the new title of chief research and strategy officer and will work with Gates in those areas. Mundie also will partner with general counsel Brad Smith to guide Microsoft's intellectual property and technology policy efforts.
The news was announced after financial markets closed. Earlier, shares in Microsoft rose 19 cents, or 0.87 percent, to close Thursday at $22.07 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Shares gained 5 cents in after-hours trading.
06/15/06 17:01 © Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?floc=ns-tos-feat-b-02&idq=/ff/story/0001/20060615/1702346349.htm
By ALLISON LINN
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates announced Thursday that he will transition from day-to-day responsibilities at the company he co-founded to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gates will continue on as the company's chairman after transferring his duties over a two-year period.
This was a hard decision for me,'' said Gates, who founded the world's largest software company with childhood friend Paul Allen. ``I'm very lucky to have two passions that I feel are so important and so challenging. As I prepare for this change, I firmly believe the road ahead for Microsoft is as bright as ever.''
MICROSOFT CORP
Stock Ticker Chart
NASDAQ:MSFT Updated: 16:00 ET 22.07 +0.19
Microsoft's Chief Technical Officer Ray Ozzie will immediately assume Gate's title as chief software architect and begin working side by side with Gates on overseeing all software technical design.
Chief Technical Officer Craig Mundie will immediately take the new title of chief research and strategy officer and will work with Gates in those areas. Mundie also will partner with general counsel Brad Smith to guide Microsoft's intellectual property and technology policy efforts.
The news was announced after financial markets closed. Earlier, shares in Microsoft rose 19 cents, or 0.87 percent, to close Thursday at $22.07 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Shares gained 5 cents in after-hours trading.
06/15/06 17:01 © Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?floc=ns-tos-feat-b-02&idq=/ff/story/0001/20060615/1702346349.htm