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Email Story to a Friend June 17, 2006 Microsoft's new faces By ALLISON LINN The Associated Press REDMOND, Wash. — Bill Gates' decision to give up day-to-day duties at Microsoft Corp. puts more pressure on Steve Ballmer, Ray Ozzie and other executives to figure out the company's place in an industry increasingly focused on Internet-based services championed by Google Inc. and others. A large chunk of that responsibility is likely to fall to Ozzie, who is well known in the technology industry but does not have anything close to the pop celebrity status of Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and chairman. Gates said Thursday that he planned to step back from handling daily responsibilities by July 2008, although he will remain chairman. As part of the changeover, he immediately named Ozzie to take his place as chief software architect, the top technical job at the world's largest software company. Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, will continue to run the company. Craig Mundie, another chief technical officer, will oversee Microsoft's strategy and research. The changing of the guard comes as more companies, including Google and Yahoo Inc., are offering software over the Internet for everything from checking e-mail to collaborating on business proposals. The shift poses a big threat to Microsoft, which makes most of its billions by selling software that runs directly on desktop computers, not a server located somewhere on the Internet. Advertisement Ozzie, an industry luminary who joined Microsoft in 2005 as a chief technical officer, had already been spearheading the Redmond company's efforts to offer more online software and services, which Gates has made clear is a top priority. In an interview Friday, Ozzie said his experience developing Web-based services for his startup Groove Networks Inc. got him excited about the potential for pushing such a change in strategy at Microsoft. "I'm taking this role at a time when we should take a shift as a company to services, to embrace services," he said. "That's good, that's a very positive thing." Microsoft recently launched a system for selling online advertising to try to compete with Google's juggernaut. And it has been revamping Web-based consumer offerings such as e-mail, instant messaging and search under its new Windows Live brand name. Google also has begun offering word processing and other business software over the Internet. In response, Microsoft is testing Web-based business offerings, dubbed Office Live. But analysts say because the Windows Live and Office Live efforts are still in the early stages, it's too soon to say how well Microsoft is doing against its more established competitors. Ozzie has a considerably lower profile than Gates, and Smith thinks one key to garnering the type of respect Gates enjoys will be to make himself more well-known. Ozzie acknowledged Friday that he's had to get used to the meetings and mass of e-mails that come with working at the world's largest software company. But he noted he has had some experience at a large company because of a stint at IBM Corp. And he said his work at smaller companies would help him work on things like customer satisfaction. "There are opportunities for good aspects of change," he said. On Friday, Wall Street largely shrugged off news of the transition, as investors sent Microsoft shares up 3 cents to close at $22.10 in trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisements Advertisement