Bill Gates is stepping down

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is giving up his day-to-day role at the company! Microsoft’s Nr.1 man said on Thursday that he will transition out of a day-to-day role at the company within two years. From July 2008 he will spend more time on global health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The company said that after July 2008 Gates would continue to serve as the company’s chairman and an advisor on key development projects. “This was a hard decision for me,” Gates said in a statement. “I’m very lucky to have two passions that I feel are so important and so challenging.”

The company announced that Chief Technical Officer Ray Ozzie will immediately assume the title of chief software architect and begin working side by side with Gates on all technical architecture and product oversight responsibilities, to ensure a smooth transition. Similarly, Chief Technical Officer Craig Mundie will immediately take the new title of chief research and strategy officer and will work closely with Gates to assume his responsibility for the company’s research and incubation efforts; Mundie also will partner with general counsel Brad Smith to guide Microsoft’s intellectual property and technology policy efforts.