Microsoft at 40 – Where will the Brand go from Here?

A recent report by CNN released an email sent by none other than the godfather of the computing age – Bill Gates. Apparently, the Microsoft co-founder sent the email as a way to connect with Microsoft employees and celebrate four decades of changing the world, one computer at a time, since 1975.

According to CNN, here’s what the email said: “Early on, Paul Allen and I see 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. It is amazing to think about how far computing has come since then, and we can all be proud of the role Microsoft played in that revolution.”

It really is incredible when you think about how things were when Gates and Allen made that goal compared to what the world is today. Back then, no one saw much need for this upstart idea of the “personal computer,” but now billions across the globe are carrying computers in their pockets. From crazy idea to individual necessity in a generation. That’s the power of an idea whose time has come.

But Gates was not just looking back. In the same message he praised the leadership of current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, saying, “In my role as technical advisor to Satya, I get to join product reviews and am impressed by the vision and talent I see.”

But do you see what he did there? Gates is not only offering support and approval, he is tacitly revealing his current role in the company. Never one to shy away from making decisions, Gates is seen now as the face of his billion-dollar international charity and less the face of Microsoft, but his shadow still looms large in every way that matters. Far from the hands-off godfather, Gates is still a major player in the present and future of the company that helped make him the richest man in the world. And, even in a celebratory email, he is casting vision and defining the company.

“I hope you will think about what you can do to make the power of technology accessible to everyone, to connect people to each other, and make personal computing available everywhere.”

That may sound like a happy thought, but coming from this source, it’s more like marching orders.