Bill Gates, the man who built Microsoft into a technology empire, said that he plans to step down from his daily duties in two years to focus on his charitable foundation.

The announcement raises questions about whether Microsoft will be as aggressive and competitive as it has been during Gates' 31-year career at the company. And while Microsoft is still making a billion dollars in profit every month, it faces a host of challenges, from a slumping stock price to nimble competitors such as Google, Yahoo and eBay.

Those competitors were quick to exploit the Internet, which has taken software out of the box and put it onto the Web. Microsoft, which produces the dominant Windows operating system and Office word processing and other applications, has also been plagued by delays in shipping its new Vista version of Windows.

Gates tried to downplay the impact the transition would have on Microsoft, saying, ``the company is the strongest it has ever been'' and that he had received too much credit for Microsoft's success over the years.

By: DocMemory
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