Bill Gates gave what will likely be his last public speech this week at Microsoft's Tech-Ed developer conference in Orlando, Florida. You can view highlights of the presentation online here.
While I don't think there was anything particularly ground-breaking in Gates' presentation (the usual product plugs for Silverlight and ADO.Net, and a preview of a model-based programming approach called Oslo), it's still the passing of an era at Microsoft. Effective July 1, Gates' long announced retirement comes into effect and he will be working full time for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates was notorious for his demanding work ethic and constantly challenging developers to do better. Ok, maybe he wasn't always diplomatic about it, but he shaped the company and made it a powerhouse in the 1980s and 1990s.
So the question is: who can fulfill that role at Microsoft going forward? And after 30 years, what will Bill do on his last day?
Posted by Zack Urlocker on June 4, 2008 06:30 AM
