A third of a century after founding Microsoft Corp., Bill Gates will cease his day-to-day work at the firm, remaining as chairman. Gates' final speech at the Consumer Electronics Show was laden with talk of new products, growth strategy and, inevitably, deals. Gates announced partnerships with Walt Disney Co., NBC Universal and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.:
- Online viewers will have access to more than 3,000 hours of content so they can watch their favorite athlete or sport on NBCOlympics.com
- Xbox 360 will offer MGM's movie library on demand for Xbox 360 including such titles as "Rocky," "Terminator" and "Silence of the Lambs"
- All U.S. Xbox LIVE members will have access to select TV shows and movies from the ABC Television Network, ABC Family, ABC News, Disney Channel and Toon Disney
In another sign of how far Microsoft (and everyone else) has traveled since Gates started, the company also has an auto industry deal with Ford Motor Co., as discussed in the Bloomberg article below. - Baz Hiralal
Watch Gates' keynote address here
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