Bill Gates to Step Down From Microsoft & Berkshire Hathaway Boards
To focus on “philanthropic priorities.”
Shortly after donating $50 million USD to Coronavirus (COVID-19) research, Bill Gates has announced he will be stepping down from the board of directors of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway. Revealed in an official statement, the tech figure noted his departure from the company he founded with Paul Allen four decades ago and the conglomerate run by his close friend, Warren E. Buffett. The statement notes that the tech figure wants to focus his efforts on “philanthropic priorities” at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Despite being synonymous with Microsoft for decades, Gates left his day-to-day role at the company back in 2008 and left his role as the board’s chairman back in 2014. In recent memory, Gates has been more active in efforts to better global health and development, education and increase his engagement in tackling climate change through his nonprofit organization. Stepping away from Microsoft, Gates will remain one of the largest individual shareholders of with roughly 1.3 percent of the company’s shares (valued at $16 billion USD). The official post also notes that he will remain an active participant at the company and work closely with Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive.
Catch a quote from Bill Gates’ official statement below and head over to LinkedIn to catch the post in full.
“Microsoft will always be an important part of my life’s work and I will continue to be engaged with Satya and the technical leadership to help shape the vision and achieve the company’s ambitious goals. I feel more optimistic than ever about the progress the company is making.”
In case you missed it, Apple recently announced WWDC 2020 will be online only.
