by Dan York on July 1, 2008
On today’s SquawkBox (June 30), we talked a lot about the changes at Microsoft and what may be next for the company.
With Bill Gates formally departing Microsoft (see his farewell speech), much of the conversation has been about “what comes next” for Microsoft. We talked a small bit about that and particularly Steve Gillmor’s view.
Today was also the day that Microsoft stops selling XP to consumers… and we talked a bit about some perspectives on that:
We briefly discussed Google’s recent announcements around helping academia move into cloud computing with the general view that this was just a good thing.
Finally, we spent some time on Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg’s comments over the weekend disparaging the iPhone and Steve Jobs.
On the call: Dan York (host), Brad Jones, Carl Ford, Dameon Welch-Abernathy, Jeb Brilliant, Ian Hood, William Volk and Michael Pruyn.
More information and the chat session during the call can be found on the call’s web page.
See you tomorrow on the Squawk Box!
I think there’s spring fever in the air. As one wag noted, “First Scoble, and now Gates!”.  At 4:30 this afternoon, one of the 20th century’s giants of industry, Bill Gates, anounced he was retiring. In June 2008, Bill will become Chairman and Advisor to Microsoft, and continue in a part time role, as needed. He will be focusing his attention on the $29 billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Craig Mundie and Ray Ozzie will collectively assume the technology strategy and oversight role that Bill played as Chief Software Architect, and will report to Steve Ballmer.
Of course, the signs have been there for everyone to see for a while:
- Steve’s promotion to CEO.
- Ray Ozzie’s prominent role since being hired only a short time ago.
- The continued growth of the Foundation, despite its giving away massive amounts of money. Bill has often commented that it’s difficult to give wisely and effectively.
No doubt this will come as a relief to Bill Gates, Sr. as well. He’s well on in his years, but has been a pivotal force at the foundation since its inception.
I’ve only been back to Microsoft a few times since leaving, and it hasn’t seemed the same as when I left. As of today, it likely will never be the same again.Â
