Ray takes over from Bill
by Volker Weber
The company's chief technical officer, Ray Ozzie, will immediately assume the title of chief software architect and begin working side by side with Gates on all technical architecture and product oversight responsibilities.
[Thanks, Thomas]
Comments
Very interesting. The chess pieces have been moving for some time on all of this.
I am surprised that IBM/Lotus never brought back Ozzie (like Jobs to Apple).
Ozzie wouldn't be good for IBM for the same reason I think its good for Gates to leave Microsoft. Gates casts such a huge shadow that it makes the upward flow of ideas very difficult. Microsoft becomes a small business that got too large with one guy being too tied up with every move. To some extent, Ray would tend to have that kind of an effect at Lotus.
Ray will be good for MS because he will foster a more bottom up creative department, not because he is himself a technical genius. In that regard, he's been a bit of a one trick pony. Its been one hell of a trick, for sure.
I haven't ever had a significant conversation with Ray Ozzie, but many who have worked with him tell me he is excellent at creating an environment where the people working for him are able to promote new ideas. As long as he and Steve Ballmer don't clash too badly -- which I doubt since Ballmer is a marketing and money guy, not a technology guy -- it should be very good for Microsoft.
Yes, I think, Andrew is hitting the nail
Gates will always "cast a huge shadow" on MS. He is an icon. And icons can't go into retirement. They even don't just die. They become a myth. To me, Billy is a poor man. But that is another story ... ;)
Cem,
It will be a challenge for Mr. Gates to truly step away from what he's built, but perhaps he'll find enough challenging work with his Gates Foundation and his wife to keep him well occupied.
No, Bill can never go into retirement, but I think it's great what he's doing with his foundation. If it were not for his vaccine program, the WHO would lack the funding for its campaigns in third world countries. However, Microsoft has also ruined many peoples lives in the competition for their share of the market - so does the end justify the means?
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