Bill Gates Championed Satya Nadella as New Microsoft CEO
John Thompson to take Bill Gates' place as Chairman.
Last week brought reports that Microsoft was considering Satya Nadella as the new CEO, and that Bill Gates may step down as Chairman. Those reports turned out to be true, but Bill Gates role in the company he founded will actually get bigger. Gates will focus less on administration and more in product development. He’s currently going to work at Microsoft for at least one day per week.
“The more time Bill spends on product development, the better,” said Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm. “He and Steve Jobs seem very different on the outside, but at their core they were very similar. They both see things that others don’t see, and they’re both very demanding.”
Sources also claim that Gates actually “championed” Nadella during the CEO search, indicating that the two will be able to collaborate well. Bloomberg points out that Gates was instrumental in building innovative products while Nadella is well-versed in Microsoft’s tools for businesses.
John Thompson, who led the CEO search committee, will take Gates’ place as chairman of the board while Gate will become the technology advisor. This would make it easier on Nadella instead of bringing in someone from the outside who may not be quite as compatible with the CEO. Nadella has served at Microsoft for 22 years.
Stay tuned for more news and analysis on today's Microsoft leadership changes.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
-
hakesterman I never really lked Bill Gates, Well until Bulmer came along anyway. Good Luck Bill, I hope you can bring the company back to the promise Land again.Reply -
NightLight that's good news, bill is a leader and a visonary. but please don't compare jobs with him, because jobs is not even in the same league.Reply -
sunflier Whether you like/dislike Bill Gates/Microsoft there is one thing he did that was instrumental for many of us and that was pave the way to create many, many careers. I've had my frustrations with some of MS products but in the end I have a great career as a result. Also would like to point out Bill came to the rescue of Apple in the late 90's financially. To be fair, it was in Microsoft's best interest to save Apple do due monopoly laws but nonetheless he did.I do hope Bill can get MS back on the innovative track once again...Reply -
jhansonxi I hate to dispel your delusions but Bill's technical influence has never been absent. That includes Kin, Zune, and Windows 8. Him losing the chairmanship likely means even less involvement. Nadella's promotion is partly in response to the major investors that were screaming to ignore the PC and Xbox and instead focus on Azure and Office 365.Reply -
lockhrt999 ReplyJust curious as to what Gate's salary for Technical Advisor is...
A few hundred thousand dollars, give or take a few millions. -
Horhe Reply
I think you meant give or give a few millions? :)Just curious as to what Gate's salary for Technical Advisor is...
A few hundred thousand dollars, give or take a few millions. -
velocityg4 Replythat's good news, bill is a leader and a visonary. but please don't compare jobs with him, because jobs is not even in the same league.
I know it's too unfair to Bill. He doesn't come close to Jobs. :P -
aonex Reply
You mean as a narcissist that only cared about hoarding money? Yup, Jobs was on a whole other level.that's good news, bill is a leader and a visonary. but please don't compare jobs with him, because jobs is not even in the same league.
I know it's too unfair to Bill. He doesn't come close to Jobs. :P