Bill Gates remains a crucial figure behind-the-scenes at Microsoft, claims report

Bill gates

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, who ‘officially’ left the company in 2020, still has considerable influence over the strategy and operations of the company’s decisions. According to a report by Business Insider, Gates has also been quietly overseeing several of Microsoft's artificial intelligence initiatives from behind the scenes. The report cites information shared by  current and former executives,

Microsoft's multi-billion-dollar investment and extended partnership with OpenAI has also made the company one of the most valuable companies worldwide. It is also projected to grow more in the next decade riding on the AI wave.

A Microsoft executive also told Business Insider that, "What you read is not what's happening in reality. Satya and the entire senior leadership team lean on Gates very significantly. His opinion is sought every time we make a major change."

Gates has been instrumental in steering Microsoft's artificial intelligence (AI) endeavours, according to the report by Business Insider. His advice to the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella has been invaluable in making important decisions, evaluating products across a variety of teams, hiring top talent, and fostering a vital partnership with OpenAI, claims report.

The emergence of Copilot as one of the key Microsoft AI tools in the market is also because of the partnership with OpenAI. Gates has also been actively involved in the development of Bing AI, which uses generative AI, to compete with Google.

His influence in Microsoft and his role in shaping the AI trajectory in the company proves that he has a lasting influence on the company’s major operations, even after officially resigning in 2020.