Read Bill Gates' Letter to Microsoft Employees for the Company's 40th Anniversary

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft attends a breakfast meeting with the theme "Dialogue: Technology & Innovation for a Sustainable Future" during the Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference 2015 in Qionghai city, Hainan Province, China on March 29, 2015.
Cui hao—Imaginechina/AP
By Justin Worland
April 5, 2015

The world’s richest man may no longer be CEO of the company he co-founded four decades ago, but Bill Gates still has a lot to say to those who keep Microsoft ticking.

Gates stepped away from the daily grind atop Microsoft in favor of a more advisory role and more time to focus on philanthropy. But in a letter to coincide with the company’s 40-year anniversary, he thanked the employees for their hard work and asked them to think about Microsoft’s future.

“We have accomplished a lot together during our first 40 years and empowered countless businesses and people to realize their full potential,” he wrote in the letter, obtained by The Verge. “But what matters most now is what we do next.”

Gates briefly mentions his role starting the company with Paul Allen, but he devotes most of the space to the continued evolution of Microsoft and the tech landscape in which it operates.

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“We are nearing the point where computers and robots will be able to see, move, and interact naturally,” he added, “unlocking many new applications and empowering people even more.”

Read the full letter at The Verge.

Read next: Microsoft Has a Clever Plan to Get You to Love Bing

See How Tech CEOs Spend Their Money
<strong>Steve Jobs</strong> The Apple CEO's super yacht Venus was designed by Philippe Starck's design company Ubik. Jobs spent approximately $131 million on it but passed away in 2011 before it was completed.
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Ed Oudenaarden—AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Steve Ballmer</strong> In 2014, former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer spent $2 billion to become the owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.
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<strong>Larry Ellison</strong> Outgoing Oracle CEO Larry Ellison owns 98% of the 141-square-mile Hawaiian island of Lanai, which he bought for an undisclosed price. He is turning it into a "model for sustainable enterprise," he's said, though details remain sketchy.
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NASA/Reuters
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Bill Gates The former Microsoft CEO is currently the richest man in the world, according to Bloomberg. Since 2000, Gates and his wife have been running the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In total it has issued grants adding up to over $30 billion.
Pius Utomi Ekpei—AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Elon Musk</strong> PayPal Co-Founder Elon Musk (in driver's seat) began as a Series A investor in 2004 and is now the CEO and chief product architect of Tesla Motors. The company created the first mass-produced, highway-capable electric car and is valued at over $18 billion.
Elon Musk PayPal Co-Founder Elon Musk (in driver's seat) began as a Series A investor in 2004 and is now the CEO and chief product architect of Tesla Motors. The company created the first mass-produced, highway-capable electric car and is valued at over $18 billion.
Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Richard Branson</strong> Founder of Virgin Group, comprised of more than 400 companies, Branson has invested heavily in spaceship tourism with the SpaceShipTwo vehicle .
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<strong>Mark Zuckerberg</strong> To ensure his privacy, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought four of his neighboring houses in 2013 for an estimated $30 million-plus in Palo Alto, California.
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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com.

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