14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is close to announcing a new CEO in the coming weeks, but according to a separate report, co-founder Bill Gates could also resign from the chairman position as part of the upper management changes.
While seeing Bill Gates leaving the software empire he built isn’t quite the best news for tech enthusiasts, analysts believe that such a dramatic decision isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“Bill Gates built the company. And he built it in an era when building software and installing it is the way you made beautiful things, great things. The company was brilliant at it,” said Ted Schadler, software industry analyst for Forrester Research, according to a report by The Seattle Times.
Schadler explained that with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer still involved in Microsoft’s business, the new CEO might be blocked from implementing significant changes, so the company’s transition to devices and services might be affected.
“But the world has changed — a lot. Today the world is a lot more about delivery of software as a service. The problem with having Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer on the board, and having Bill Gates be the chairman, is it’s hard for the new CEO to make that clean break.”
Bill Gates has previously said that he plans to work closer with the new CEO once a replacement for Steve Ballmer is appointed, but it’s not yet clear whether he would change his mind in case he decides to resign from the chairman position.
Of course, with Microsoft looking for a new CEO, many pointed to Bill Gates as the right replacement for his friend Steve Ballmer, especially because the chairman is already familiar with the direction the company is going and has what it takes to be an exceptional leader for the Redmond-based software giant.
Bill Gates, however, refused to return to Microsoft in such a high-profile position, as he prefers to spend more time on his philanthropic work across the world.