Microsoft said Bill Gates, the company's chairman and chief software architect, will hand over some of his roles and responsibilities at software behemoth and move out of his day-to-day role to concentrate on his charity. Microsoft on Thursday said Bill Gates, the company’s chairman and chief software architect, will hand over some of his roles and responsibilities at the Redmond, Wash.-based behemoth and move out of his day-to-day role to concentrate on his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in July 2008, according to a June 15 Microsoft release.Gates will continue to serve as Microsoft’s chairman and adviser on major development initiatives until that time.Current Microsoft Chief Technical Officer Ray Ozzie will take over the chief software architect role immediately, and he’ll work closely with Gates on key projects until the summer of 2008. Craig Mundie, Redmond chief technical officer, will take on the new title of chief research and strategy officer, effective immediately, where he’ll work in conjunction with Gates on development efforts. Bill Gates “Our business and technical leadership has never been stronger, and Microsoft is well-positioned for success in years ahead,” Gates said in the release. “I feel very fortunate to have such great technical leaders like Ray and Craig at the company.” The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to improve health and learning environments around the world.“This was a hard decision for me,” Gates said. “I’m very lucky to have two passions that I feel are so important and so challenging. As I prepare for this change, I firmly believe the road ahead for Microsoft is as bright as ever.” This article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content Feature Industry clouds prove their business value Born of partnerships and ecosystem-centric by their nature, cloud solutions aimed at specific verticals are taking root, forming a complex, rapidly evolving market CIOs must be strategic about entering. By Paula Rooney Mar 24, 2023 7 mins Cloud Computing Feature What is data governance? Best practices for managing data assets Data governance defines roles, responsibilities, and processes for ensuring accountability for and ownership of data assets across the enterprise. By Thor Olavsrud Mar 24, 2023 10 mins IT Governance Frameworks Big Data Data Mining BrandPost Stay in Control of Your Data with a Secure and Compliant Sovereign Cloud By Stan Kwong Mar 23, 2023 6 mins Cloud Security Cloud Computing News Accenture to lay off 19,000 to cut costs amid economic uncertainty Technology services giant Accenture will continue to hire but meanwhile is cutting staff to streamline operations in the face of economic headwinds. By Anirban Ghoshal Mar 23, 2023 2 mins IT Consulting Services Technology Industry Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe