He’s got money, brains and a heart.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates teared up on Tuesday while saying goodbye to Steve Ballmer, who has worked at the tech titan for 33 years — the last 13 as CEO.
Ballmer, only the second Microsoft CEO, announced in August he would retire within a year.
At Ballmer’s last annual meeting, Gates, 58, discussed the board’s progress in searching for a replacement for his pal — saying the search has been ongoing but difficult given the complexity of the job.
That’s when it hit him.
“We have a commitment to make sure the next CEO is the right person for the right time,” Gates said, choking up before finishing the sentence, “for the company we both love.”
As part of its shift from software to devices, Microsoft recently agreed to fork over a whopping $7.4 billion for Finnish tech giant Nokia’s mobile phone business. Nokia’s shareholders approved the deal on Tuesday.