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    In LinkedIn note, Bill Gates invokes old & lasting friendship with Warren Buffett; being a mentor to Nadella

    Synopsis

    The 64-yr-old tech titan on Saturday stepped down from the boards of MS, Berkshire Hathaway.

    Untitled-1jReuters
    Signing off on a note of introspection, the world’s most high-profile, self-made billionaire wrote that he is now ‘looking forward to this next phase as an opportunity to maintain the friendships and partnerships that have meant the most to me’.
    On Friday night Bill Gates announced his decision to step down from the board of Microsoft Technologies that he had founded in April of 1975. The exit of the 64-year-old tech titan, who quit his full-time executive role at Microsoft in 2008, now leaves the company’s board with 12 members.

    Gates says that his decision to step down will help him channel his energies towards philanthropy that remains close to the billionaire’s heart. In a post on LinkedIn which is titled “Focusing My Time”, he mentions that he wants to “dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities including global health and development, education, and his increased engagement in tackling climate change.”

    And it’s not just the board of Microsoft that he has bid adieu to. The business tycoon has called it a day at Berkshire Hathaway where he was on the board as well. In his post, Gates cites his camaraderie with Berkshire founder, Warren Buffett, and says that the duo were the ‘best of friends’ long before he joined the board. He also writes that they will continue to be friends and that he looks ‘forward to the continued partnership as co-trustees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and co-founders of The Giving Pledge’.

    ​Screenshot: LinkedIn/Bill GatesAgencies
    Screenshot: LinkedIn/Bill Gates

    While Gates remains optimistic about the ‘leadership at the Berkshire companies’, he is also confident that Microsoft is in good hands under the stewardship of India-born Satya Nadella, and that being away from the board does not in any way signify that he himself is ‘stepping away from the company and it will always be an important part’.

    He emphasises that he remains available as a mentor who “will continue to be engaged with Satya and the technical leadership to help shape the vision and achieve the company’s ambitious goals”.

    Signing off on a note of introspection, the world’s most high-profile, self-made billionaire writes that he is now ‘looking forward to this next phase as an opportunity to maintain the friendships and partnerships that have meant the most to me’.



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