Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft

Bill Gates

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, has stepped down from his business firms to devote himself to charitable activities and spend more time with them.

American billionaire Bill Gates says he wants to focus on global health, development, education and tackling climate change, according to BBC.

Bill Gates: I look forward to the next stage as an opportunity to maintain friendships and partnerships that matter most to me.

Bill Gates, who is considered one of the richest men in the world, and at the age of 65, decided to leave his position on the Board of Microsoft Corporation, and also on the Board of Directors of American billionaire company Warren Buffett Holding "Berkshire Hathaway".

It is worth noting that Gates has left the position of daily supervision in Microsoft administration since 2008.

Gates confirmed as he announced his last step, that the company "will always be an important part of my life's work," adding that he will continue to participate in its leadership.

But he also stressed: "I look forward to the next stage as an opportunity to preserve the friendships and partnerships that matter most to me, and continue to contribute to two companies I'm very proud of, and actively prioritize my commitment to tackling some of the toughest challenges in the world."

Gates, listed by Forbes as the world's richest man, made his fortune by developing computer software.

As a young man, he left college and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he created Microsoft with his childhood friend, Paul Allen, who died in 2018.

Their big success came as early as 1980 when Microsoft signed an agreement with IBM to build the operating system that became known as "MS-DOS", and after that Microsoft announced in 1986 that he had become Bill Gates, 31 years old at the time, the youngest self-made billionaire.