Satya Nadella Appointed Microsoft CEO as Bill Gates Shifts from Chairman to 'Technology Advisor'

Microsoft announced today that it has appointed company veteran Satya Nadella as Chief Executive Officer to replace retiring Steve Ballmer. Nadella, who previously served as executive vice president of the company's Cloud and Enterprise group, will take over as CEO and join the Board of Directors effective immediately.

Satya Nadella
As part of this leadership change, Bill Gates is stepping down as Chairman of the Board of Directors and will take a position as "Founder and Technology Advisor". John Thompson, former CEO of Symantec, will assume the role of Board Chairman. This will mark a significant shift for Gates, who has been asked by Nadella to take a more active role in product development within the company.

Microsoft also announced that Bill Gates, previously Chairman of the Board of Directors, will assume a new role on the Board as Founder and Technology Advisor, and will devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction.

Gates will work three days each week at Microsoft and will remain actively involved in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, reports Re/code.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Black

Apple Just Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever After Beats

Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014. Q.ai has...
imac video apple feature

Apple Unveils First New Products of 2026

Monday January 26, 2026 1:55 pm PST by
Apple today introduced its first two physical products of 2026: a second-generation AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch. Read our coverage of each announcement to learn more:Apple Unveils New AirTag With Longer Range, Louder Speaker, and More Apple Introduces New Black Unity Apple Watch BandBoth the new AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided...
iPhone 5s

iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

Monday January 26, 2026 3:56 pm PST by
Alongside iOS 26.2.1, Apple today released an updated version of iOS 12 for devices that are still running that operating system update, eight years after the software was first released. iOS 12.5.8 is available for the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6, meaning Apple is continuing to support these devices for 13 and 12 years after launch, respectively. The iPhone 5s came out in September 2013,...
Apple Creator Studio

Apple's Next Launch is Today

Tuesday January 27, 2026 2:39 pm PST by
Update: Apple Creator Studio is now available. Apple Creator Studio launches this Wednesday, January 28. The all-in-one subscription provides access to the Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage apps, with U.S. pricing set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. A subscription to Apple Creator Studio also unlocks "intelligent features" and "premium...
apple silicon 1 feature

Apple Responds to Skyrocketing RAM and Storage Chip Prices

Thursday January 29, 2026 2:40 pm PST by
On an earnings call with equity analysts today, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to fast-rising RAM and SSD storage chip prices in the supply chain. Prices for RAM and NAND storage chips are surging lately due to high demand from companies building out AI servers, resulting in supply constraints. Cook said that rising memory chip prices had a "minimal impact" on Apple's gross margin in the...

Top Rated Comments

natd1993 Avatar
157 months ago
But... can he do this?

Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Winni Avatar
157 months ago
Wow Gates stepping down. That is big news. I hope this will be even better for his foundation now that he will have some more time hopefully to devote to it.

You should read the news again: Gates is stepping down as Chairman, but at the same time he will spend MORE TIME at Microsoft as TECHNOLOGY ADVISER.

----------

Interesting Mac rumor....

Microsoft has a Mac division. And a CEO change at Microsoft is certainly more newsworthy than a new Angry Birds release for iOS...
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
overanalyzer Avatar
157 months ago
For those of us who love Microsoft for Azure and .NET, this is fantastic news.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RawBert Avatar
157 months ago
He should throw these on. I'd like to see how he looks in them.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheJae Avatar
157 months ago
Compared to Ballmer, he looks like someone i'd like to have tea with.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vmachiel Avatar
157 months ago
Well a software engineer at the helm again seems like a good thing.

Interesting Mac rumor....
Come on, iPhone rumors aren't Mac rumors. This concerns Apple as well since MS is one of their main competitors. It's not like every MS event is reported.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)