What position did Bill Gates hold at Microsoft from 2000 to 2008 while Steve Ballmer was CEO?

Bill Gates held the position of chief software architect at Microsoft from 2000 to 2008 while Steve Ballmer was CEO.

Gates relinquished the chief executive role in January 2000, when Ballmer became Microsoft’s CEO. Gates then concentrated more heavily on the company’s software strategy and product direction as chief software architect, while continuing to serve as chairman.

In June 2006, Gates announced that he would gradually reduce his daily Microsoft responsibilities to focus more on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He ended his regular day-to-day work at Microsoft in 2008, though he remained chairman until 2014.

The title is sometimes confused with chief technology officer, a different corporate role. Gates’s software-architect position reflected his continuing influence over technical strategy, especially during Microsoft’s transition from its traditional PC-software dominance toward newer internet and platform challenges.