Bill Gates Departs Microsoft Board After Pledging $1.4M to African Blockchain

Philanthropist, business mogul, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will leave the company’s board, as revealed by the company on Friday evening. A press release by Microsoft explained that Gates’ resignation from the board is linked with his desire to make more time for his philanthropic efforts such as his recent drive in tackling climate change and the coronavirus.

Gates will keep working as a technical adviser to the company, and will still help and guide CEO Satya Nadella and senior leadership topics like health-care technology, the future of productivity software, and artificial intelligence.

Merv Adrian, a VP at research firm Gartner Inc., which has followed Microsoft closely for decades, remarked on the decision:

“I think it just says, ‘We’ve turned the page, we have completed our transition.’ This feels like a graceful transition over several years. Now they feel that their work is done, and it’s time to go on.”

The 64 years old started the household name of Microsoft alongside Paul Allen back in 1975 in his home garage. The company is known for its ubiquitous computer operating system which was first released in 1985 and remains the most widely used to date.

Jeff Raikes, a 27-year Microsoft veteran said: 

“Today’s Microsoft is a reflection of Satya, with Bill’s career as a foundation. It is a different era. I mean that not just in terms of leadership. I mean it in terms of culture. Satya never tried to be the smartest guy in the room. He tried to be the most intellectually curious guy in the room.” Jeff and his wife Tricia met for the first time at Microsoft and were the first couple to marry each other within the company.

Raikes, who also worked as CEO for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, added how Gates is now “maniacally focused” on the foundation’s projects, and thus it is not surprising that he wants to turn all his attention towards his philanthropic work.

Besides the operating system, Microsoft has been dabbling into several other ventures, such as announcing a blockchain token and data management service in December of 2019 that would serve as a nifty tool for users of its enterprise Azure service. Gates has also recently laid foundations of a blockchain-enabled security service that would be used by fintech companies operating in Asia and Africa called Crest, as he wrote a check for $1.4 million earlier in March to help the fintech enterprises operating in these niches offer financial services to unbanked populations.

While the decision has been under discussion for many months, the timing of the announcement during the Covid-19 pandemic is a poignant reminder of how Gates recognizes his role as one of the worlds’ major influencers and also realizes what is at stake in the field of public health, where he has been recently devoting all of his time. The Gates Foundation has been particularly working at the forefront of the fight against the Coronavirus, and has been trying to enable easier and more accessible testing for the new virus across the US. 

Matt McIlwain, managing director at Madrona Venture Group, said:

“It’s a very poignant time that it worked out that his announcement coincided with the need for those big nonprofits, especially the ones belonging to those who made their fortunes in tech, to come together to make a difference.”