The Verge confirmed the authenticity of the letter, which was put up on Twitter by Microsoft employee Amit Choudhary.
Gates spoke of their early ambitions in the letter. “Early on, Paul Allen and I set the goal of a computer on every desk and in every home. It was a bold idea and a lot of people thought we were out of our minds to imagine it was possible.”
Gates however also mentions grand plans for the future. “Technology is still out of reach for many people, because it is complex or expensive, or they simply do not have access. So I hope you will think about what you can do to make the power of technology accessible to everyone.”
Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft on April 4, 1975. Forty years later, Bill Gates is the richest man on the planet. He was CEO for 25 years, stepping down in 2000, and has gradually reduced involvement with the company to focus on his philanthropic and charitable efforts through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
However, since Satya Nadella took over as CEO from Steve Ballmer, Gates has said he will be taking on a bigger role and spending as much as a third of his time to advise Microsoft on new products. Gates mention Nadella in the letter, and mentions his role as a product adviser to the CEO. “In my role as technical advisor to Satya, I get to join product reviews and am impressed by the vision and talent I see. The result is evident in products like Cortana, Skype Translator, and HoloLens — and those are just a few of the many innovations that are on the way.”
Microsoft is set to launch a slew of new products in coming years, such as Windows 10, the Spartan browser, MS Office on the cloud, as well as devices like the HoloLens.
