It has not been all fun and games for Gates though. Although Microsoft has been credited for many "firsts," they actually didn't create the first graphical user interface (actually, Xerox did). There were command line operating systems before MSDOS, and word processing products existed before Microsoft.

What Microsoft has achieved is popularizing the computer industry. This was partly due to Gates' contractual deals with hardware manufacturers, but also because there was beginning to be a need for every household to have a computer. This impact soon led to the Internet and today's high-speed Internet.

There have been a number of occasions where Bill Gates has been under media scrutiny.

How about the mug shot that has been a favorite among email forwards for as long as years?

Remember the pie-in-the-face incident of 1998?

Or how about the crash of Windows 98 during a presentation?

Or how about the crash of the XBOX on Conan O'Brien?

And nothing has given Microsoft more problems than the anti-trust deposition that is now all over YouTube. Here's the first part of many:

The last 33 years have not been completely negative, considering the wildly popular Windows 95 and 98. Windows XP, while not as innovative, still has made Microsoft money. Many assume that Bill Gates is unhappy with the current state of Microsoft. A leaked e-mail prior to Gates' retirement announcement showed some signs of frustration with the direction that the software company's products were going. In the memo, he pointed out all the troubles he had trying to download Moviemaker, a video editing suite.

Gates will not be far from the public eye. His plans are to focus full time on his philanthropic work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Steve Ballmer will take over Gates' position at Microsoft.

Don't worry, YouTube. With Ballmer running the show now, there will be plenty of fodder.