Goodbye, Mr. Gates

All good things must come to an end, and in the case of Bill Gates' career at Microsoft, it's coming to an end today.

Friday, June 27th is Gates final day on the job as an employee of Microsoft, the company he's been with for 33 years. It's been a career full of much turmoil and more than a few industry-shaking quakes, but an immensely important one. If nothing else, Gates personally proved that business savvy was just as crucial as technical smarts in the high-tech war that continues to rage today. Gates was (and remains) a master of both.

In an era when many tech CEOs have no idea what their company really does, Gates has long been a hands-on anomaly. Back in the '70s, he personally reviewed every line of code that Microsoft engineers wrote. If he didn't like what he saw, he rewrote it on the spot. As DOS and Windows grew to mammoth proportions, such oversight became impossible, but Gates continued to weigh in on all matters great and small that faced the company. Getting comments back from Gates on a product submitted for his approval has long been one of Microsofties' most terrifying moments. Why? Because it might look something like this (from 2003). In an age when managers massage employees with nothing but "you can do it!" encouragement for fear of being sued, seeing straight talk like Gates' scathing memo, which could have driven weaker-willed employees to leap from the roof, is a bracing surprise. You may not like Microsoft or what its products have become of late, but give Gates the man the props he deserves.

What happens now? Gates heads off with wife Melinda to focus on his mega-zillion-dollar endowed charity, the Gates Foundation, while Microsoft looks toward an era of getting on without him. The 52-year-old Gates will reportedly check in once a week (specifically to aid in the company's battle vs. Google) and will remain a non-executive Chairman, but it's up to CEO Steve Ballmer and Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie to keep the ship afloat. Craig Mundie also steps in to fill Gates' other role as "product master planner and technology strategist," as it was felt that Gates' shoes were too big for just one man to fill. But even then, as CNN notes, Gates can never truly be replaced.

Lastly I leave you with this: Remember that iconic photo of Microsoft's original team, back when 11 (well, 12, actually) employees worked for the company? The group reformed for a follow-up shot earlier this month. Check it out here for a little bit of teary nostaligia. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Good luck out there Bill. Do some good.