REDMOND, Wash. - Bill Gates plans to withdraw from day-to-day duties at Microsoft Corp., so he can focus on his charitable foundation while others run the company he co-founded and guided to industry dominance and vast personal wealth.
Gates, 50, said Thursday he will remain the company's chairman after transferring his daily responsibilities over a two-year period. One of the key people taking on Gates' responsibilities is technology luminary Ray Ozzie, who developed Lotus Notes and came to Microsoft when it acquired his company, Groove Networks Inc., in 2005.
The move will end an era at Microsoft, which Gates founded in 1975 with childhood pal Paul Allen and has been the public face of ever since. Gates said he is stepping back so he can focus more time on his philanthropic foundation, the world's largest.
The Redmond company on Thursday laid out a plan for other high-ranking executives to take on Gates' duties. Gates and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer also noted that recent corporate reorganizations have been designed to move more responsibility to lower-ranking executives, so the company could more quickly make decisions without Gates and Ballmer.
But, in an interview with The Associated Press, Ballmer conceded that there was no way to replace Gates.
注釋：
withdraw：v. 退出
charitable：adj. 仁慈的
luminary：n. 發(fā)光體、知識淵博的人
acquire：v. 獲得
philanthropic：adj. 博愛的
lay out：v. 擺開、展示
associated：adj. 聯(lián)合的
Gates, 50, said Thursday he will remain the company's chairman after transferring his daily responsibilities over a two-year period. One of the key people taking on Gates' responsibilities is technology luminary Ray Ozzie, who developed Lotus Notes and came to Microsoft when it acquired his company, Groove Networks Inc., in 2005.
The move will end an era at Microsoft, which Gates founded in 1975 with childhood pal Paul Allen and has been the public face of ever since. Gates said he is stepping back so he can focus more time on his philanthropic foundation, the world's largest.
The Redmond company on Thursday laid out a plan for other high-ranking executives to take on Gates' duties. Gates and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer also noted that recent corporate reorganizations have been designed to move more responsibility to lower-ranking executives, so the company could more quickly make decisions without Gates and Ballmer.
But, in an interview with The Associated Press, Ballmer conceded that there was no way to replace Gates.
注釋：
withdraw：v. 退出
charitable：adj. 仁慈的
luminary：n. 發(fā)光體、知識淵博的人
acquire：v. 獲得
philanthropic：adj. 博愛的
lay out：v. 擺開、展示
associated：adj. 聯(lián)合的