Bill Gates' Plans for Passing the Reins - John Markoff, News Factor

Even as he steps away from Microsoft, Bill Gates has shed none of his trademark combativeness. He rejects the Silicon Valley view that Microsoft has begun to exhibit the sclerotic signs of middle age that IBM did when it dominated the computer industry but failed to respond effectively to the challenge of the personal computer. Microsoft is beset with competition from all sides, unlike any it has seen in decades, and Bill Gates, who co-founded the company 32 years ago, still intends to step away next year as planned. But so far, Gates, the 51-year-old chairman of Microsoft, shows no sign of fading away.

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