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Bill Gates Bids Farewell to his Colleagues with a Lump in his Throat
Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 1:00 AM on June 29, 2008
Despite my best efforts to distract the world's media from Bill Gates' departure from Microsoft yesterday, the software genius-turned philanthropist held his own. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has an audio file of the great man's two-minute speech to his employees in Redmond. His voice cracks when he mentions Steve Ballmer, and all the "incredible people" at the company he founded, and you can hear the pride in his voice when he talks about how they changed the world. "You've made it so much fun for me, there won't be a day in my life that I'm not thinking about Microsoft and the great things it's doing. Thank you for making it the centre of my life and so much fun." Oh, that's set me off again. [Seattlepi via CNET]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
meinrosebud
Posted June 29, 2008 8:07 PM
Yeah, yeah next contestant please... that last creep though knew what computer users wanted and gave them Microsoft Windows!
Michael Rogers
Posted June 30, 2008 10:07 AM
Before you go Bill please oh please fix movie maker
Windows may cost a lot but I found I could not understand any Linux system at all...with windows yes I could understand them except movie maker.
I think you will be back
zoom
Posted June 30, 2008 9:21 PM
"You've made it so much fun for me, there won't be a day in my life that I'm not thinking about Microsoft and the great things it's doing. Thank you for making it the centre of my life and so much fun."
*cough splutter*
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/141821.asp
Gonzie
Posted 1:14 AM 29/6/08
FINALLY! now we can all get back to reading about other stuff
Gonzie
Noobs-R-Us
Posted 1:59 AM 29/6/08
Don't worry folks. He will be back in full foce when the idiot Ballmer runs MSFT into the ground. Mark my words. He'll be back.
Noobs-R-Us
atuck
Posted 1:51 AM 29/6/08
@DomZ: hahahahaha amen
atuck
Amsterdaam - KEEP SMILING
Posted 1:51 AM 29/6/08
Oh boy! MS BOB!
I loved that thing when I was a kid...
Amsterdaam - KEEP SMILING
DomZ
Posted 1:34 AM 29/6/08
@Gonzie: Like the iPhone?
DomZ
gusnyc.com
Posted 1:31 AM 29/6/08
i shed one also...
gusnyc.com
The Sword Master
Posted 2:15 AM 29/6/08
@The Sword Master:
Actually I just read your comment on the post where your leaving is announced, and you ARE supposed to be here still. My apologies. Can I ever be forgiven? I wasn't trying to tell you to leave.
The Sword Master
The Sword Master
Posted 2:08 AM 29/6/08
Hey, Addy, you're not supposed to be here!
The Sword Master
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 3:59 AM 29/6/08
@Amsterdaam - KEEP SMILING: Thanks Melinda Gates.
OMG! Ponies!
discounteggroll
Posted 4:24 AM 29/6/08
is there an entry drawing for who will take his place? I'd buy some lottery tickets for that
discounteggroll
Rick36
Posted 5:06 AM 29/6/08
Lump in his throat? How about the one in his bank account. He still must be the single largest shareholder of M$ with his net worth of 59 Biliion.
Rick36
natsuissa
Posted 2:05 AM 29/6/08
ahah, Bill is great. He turned microsoft into the most powerful company in the world. Now it seems that google is taking the power. This seems what this website say: [www.themostpowerfulcompany.com]
natsuissa
mordecaidrake
Posted 6:52 AM 29/6/08
finally back to other stuff? its been iphone this iphone that for the past like year so omg theres a break in the iphone news to talk about the retirement of one of the best software creators....
mordecaidrake
bitfactory
Posted 7:01 AM 29/6/08
@mordecaidrake: " to talk about the retirement of one of the best software creators...."
Here, let me fix that for you...
" to talk about the retirement of one of the first software creators...."
bitfactory
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 8:13 AM 29/6/08
@bitfactory: Here, let me fix that for you...
"to talk about the retirement of one of the first and best software creators, whose contributions include reinventing BASIC, and, parallel with Steve Jobs, the creation of the home computer market..."
Without BASIC, there would be no home computer market. It was simple, cheap, and a child could be taught it.
Bill Gates helped create a single platform that supported a wide array of software and hardware and could be implemented in a variety of places for a wide range of purposes. Microsoft is not just in your computer; it's in your ATM.
He also redefined the role of CEO. Where other CEOs played golf all day, Bill Gates knew what his engineers were up to because he was an engineer.
The campus-oriented headquarters? Bill Gates. Foosball tables and free vending machines? Bill Gates.
Regardless of your feelings about Microsoft, Windows, or Bill Gates, you do have to give the man some respect.
Did I mention that he's using his wealth intelligently to help people now? Stamping out malaria is something that gets overlooked in the fight to keep polar bears from drowning.
OMG! Ponies!
Lieur
Posted 8:33 AM 29/6/08
Lump in his throat? *chuckles*
Lieur
Rizzuh
Posted 11:28 AM 29/6/08
Omg is right.show bill some respect. Bill Gates ultimate legacy will no doubt be that he is one of greatest philthropits of our time. The bill and melinda gates foundation is largest pilthanthropy organization in the world, he is using the money he earned from microsoft in an extremely intelligent and honorable wau
Rizzuh
Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!
Posted 12:58 PM 29/6/08
@Rizzuh: I lol'd and can't stop.
Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!
ps61318
Posted 1:24 PM 29/6/08
@Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!: Both the content and the typing of Rizzuh's post indicate the imbibement of certain substances often described as "controlled" or "illegal" or "mind filking."
ps61318
MINI Driver
Posted 4:14 PM 29/6/08
Based on the Bill love-in here, I think Bill should be the center spread in PlayBoy next month.
You'd think it was 'Saint Bill' by the gag inducing gushing compliments
MINI Driver
N@tedog
Posted 7:09 PM 29/6/08
Come on! Bill is a great individual. He's made ubiquitous what no one would have thought would ever be ubiquitous!
N@tedog
kaneshadow
Posted 10:31 PM 29/6/08
Wow, I can't believe the lack of Apple fanboyism on these Gates posts. Has the Gizmodo community actually taken that next step of maturity??
kaneshadow
WilCon
Posted 11:47 PM 29/6/08
@kaneshadow: Nope we just don't care.
WilCon