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Ballmer resigns

August 20, 2014

He may not have been as iconic as Bill Gates, but former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was a trailblazer at the 39-year-old software giant. Now he is relinquishing his seat on the company's board.

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Steve Ballmer
Image: Reuters

Former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said Tuesday he was stepping down from the software giant's board of directors in order to focus on managing a newly acquired basketball team, teaching business at universities and his own study.

"Given my confidence and the multitude of new commitments I am taking on now, I think it would be impractical for me to continue to serve on the board, and it is best for me to move off," Ballmer wrote in a resignation letter to his successor, Satya Nadella.

Ballmer's departure marks the end of a 34-year career at Microsoft. The 58-year-old joined the company in 1980 when it was just a small tech start-up operating out of the Seattle suburbs.

In 2000, Ballmer succeeded co-founder Bill Gates as CEO - a position he held until February this year.

Ballmer's resignation from the board came a day after he high-fived his way into the Staples Center stadium, home of the LA Clippers, a basketball team he bought for a record $2 billion (1.5 billion euros) earlier this month.

cjc/uhe (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)