Bill Gates stepping down

Wow, Bill Gates is stepping down from day-to-day work at Microsoft. Is that why he left so quickly from his recent meeting with Anders Fogh Rasmuussen? Something else on his mind?

It’s a bit surprising to me, just as their road ahead seems bumpier than it has been for so long, what with a delayed Vista release and software generally shifting to the web. Smart move to promote Ray Ozzie, but wouldn’t it have been better to let Steve Ballmer step aside and keep Gates more involved?

At a personal level, of course, it makes all the sense in the world that he should now start focusing more on charity and perhaps playing more golf or whatever his hobbies are.