The speculations surrounding Bill Gates’ future are on fire as Microsoft has started looking for a new chief.
Gate’s role in Microsoft has not yet been made clear since 2008 when he stopped performing his daily duties. However, as Microsoft started stumbling in the past few years, interest in this regard has grown. The interest has intensified sharply since Steve Ballmer announced his plans of stepping down from the post of CEO next year.
Company’s investors and employees remember the days when Microsoft was touching sky under Gates leadership transforming Microsoft in to a dominant force in the industry. Since Ballmer’s announcement, Microsofties have been noticing Gates around the company’s Redmond campus more often, leading to speculations that Gates might return to the company playing a bigger role this time helping the company to reach its past heights.
Irrespective of the future duties that Gates may perform, he is already having a lot of say in what goes on in Microsoft. He is currently heading the four member committee searching for Microsoft’s the next chief executive and as he is the largest individual shareholder of the company, his words will carry more weight than any other’s.
However sources close to this matter have said that Gates has no intention of returning back and working full time at Microsoft leaving behind his philanthropic career. Bill Gates has been reducing his stake in Microsoft in recent years from a peak of 10.75 percent to just 4.52 percent, which he holds now.
Even today executives brief him about new product developments and he is considered “fresh set of eyes” whose input is considered valuable by them. The new Microsoft chief may lay down some ground rules when it comes to Gates’ involvement in the company, but up until that time Gates will remain a dominant force in Microsoft.
