Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft board to pursue philanthropy, climate change agenda

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has resigned from Microsoft’s Board of Directors the company has announced. According to the company, Gates will continue in his role as Technology Advisor to CEO Satya Nadella and other leaders at Microsoft. However, he will now commit even more time to his philanthropic efforts as well as his increased interest in tackling the issue of climate change.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella offered these words on Gates’ departure:

It’s been a tremendous honor and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years. Bill founded our company with a belief in the democratizing force of software and a passion to solve society’s most pressing challenges...And Microsoft will continue to benefit from Bill’s ongoing technical passion and advice to drive our products and services forward. I am grateful for Bill’s friendship and look forward to continuing to work alongside him to realize our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Gates, 64, who co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, has amassed a personal fortune from Microsoft currently estimated at over US$100 billion and places him second on the rich list behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. He left his role as CEO of Microsoft in 2008 to take up the post as chairman of Microsoft’s board before stepping down to a director role in 2014. Gates is the latest big name departure from a top tech company in recent times with Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page stepping down from their official roles with Alphabet in December.