Articles about Bill Gates

Microsoft chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announced in a press conference Thursday afternoon that he would be shifting priorities, leaving his full-time position at Microsoft in two years to focus his efforts on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Microsoft CTO Ray Ozzie will take over Gates' role as Chief Software Architect starting immediately. "Over the next two years, Ray and I will work side by side to ensure a smooth transition," Gates said. "Over time, he'll take on the central role for architectual leadership at Microsoft.'

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Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates sent the following memo to fellow executives on October 30, calling for the company to make changes in response to the coming "services wave." Gates says Microsoft must act quickly and decisively to figure out the best way to deliver service-enabled experiences.

From: Bill Gates
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:56 PM
To: Executive Staff and Direct Reports; Distinguished Engineers
Subject: Internet Software Services

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Microsoft chairman Bill Gates joined fellow industry leaders Friday including Dell, Intel and Cisco in asking Congress to speed up the transition to digital television and open up the radio spectrum currently used by TV for wireless broadband services.

In a letter to United States lawmakers, the High Tech DTV Coalition said that freeing the spectrum would give more opportunity for technology companies to roll out services in rural and poor areas. Certain parts of the spectrum would be provided to first-responders, while the rest is auctioned off.

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Microsoft chairman architect Bill Gates is still the wealthiest person in America with a total of $51 billion, according to Forbes' annual list. Four out the top five richest Americans represent the technology industry, with fellow Microsoft founder Paul Allen, Michael Dell and Larry Ellison trailing Warren Buffett.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin were the big movers on the 2005 Forbes 400 list. The Google founders vaulted to number 16 and 17 with $11 billion each. Google CEO Eric Schmidt followed at number 52. Meanwhile, Steve Jobs took position 67 on the list with $3.3 billion, while Amazon's Jeff Bezos dropped from number 38 to 42.

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Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates took the stage on Saturday at Live 8 in London to show his support for the proposal being sent to the G8 leaders, which calls for dropping Africa's debt, doubling aid and opening trade barriers. Despite ongoing antitrust proceedings in Europe, Gates received an immense welcome from a crowd of 250,000.

Photos: View Images of Live 8 London, Philly

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Microsoft sees a marketing opportunity in rewarding Windows enthusiasts for sharing their experiences. Five customers that qualify as winners in a sweepstakes called "Start Something Amazing" will receive an award and a trip to Seattle to meet Bill Gates.

Start Something Amazing lays the groundwork for a national advertising campaign that will attempt to brighten and revitalize the brand image of Windows.

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UPDATED The world's wealthiest man has obtained a new honor commemorating his contribution to private enterprise and efforts to reduce poverty around the world. Microsoft Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates was knighted Wednesday by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom.

Gates joins the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire as a Knight Commander, but will not be granted the title "Sir," which is reserved exclusively for the Queen's subjects.

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A new movie entitled MacArthur Park created by Florida-based GMD Studios will come onto the seen at upcoming film festivals around the world, and kill one of the richest men in the world, Bill Gates. The movie is set in MacArthur Park, where Mr. Gates is shot from the top of a nearby building during a charity event. Following the Blair Witch model of building up the movie via the Web, GMD Studios plans to open the Web site BillGatesisDead.com to explore various other theories on the murder, including the possibility of multiple gunmen on the scene, and conspiracies involving powerhouse tech companies such as Apple, Sun, and Oracle. For more information read Mary Jo Foley's article over at ZDNet.

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