1975年4月4日，比尔·盖茨和保罗·艾伦创办了一家名为微软的小公司。你可能从那里了解到这样一个故事：盖茨后来成为世界上最富有的人，然后逐渐退出公司，通过比尔&amp；梅琳达·盖茨基金会(如果你错过了，盖茨今年2月特邀编辑了《边缘》杂志，讨论了许多慈善项目。）但盖茨在微软的工作还远远没有结束；去年，萨蒂娅·纳德拉（Satya Nadella）接任微软首席执行官后，盖茨表示，他将在公司扮演更重要的角色——用多达三分之一的时间为微软员工提供新产品的建议。

盖茨今天致函微软员工，庆祝公司成立40周年。这封信由Amit Choudhary发布在Twitter上，消息人士几乎证实了它的真实性。

Tomorrow is a special day: Microsoft's 40th anniversary.

Early on, Paul Allen and I set the goal of a computer on every desk and in every home. It was a bold idea and a lot of people thought we were out of our minds to imagine it was possible. It is amazing to think about how far computing has come since then, and we can all be proud of the role Microsoft played in that revolution.

Today though, I am thinking much more about Microsoft's future than its past. I believe computing will evolve faster in the next 10 years than it ever has before. We already live in a multi-platform world, and computing will become even more pervasive. We are nearing the point where computers and robots will be able to see, move, and interact naturally, unlocking many new applicati*** and empowering people even more.

Under Satya's leadership, Microsoft is better positioned than ever to lead these advances. We have the resources to drive and solve tough problems. We are engaged in every facet of modern computing and have the deepest commitment to research in the industry. In my role as technical advisor to Satya, I get to join product reviews and am impressed by the vision and talent I see. The result is evident in products like Cortana, Skype Translator, and HoloLens -- and those are just a few of the many innovati*** that are on the way.

In the coming years, Microsoft has the opportunity to reach even more people and organizati*** around the world. Technology is still out of reach for many people, because it is complex or expensive, or they simply do not have access. So I hope you will think about what you can do to make the power of technology accessible to everyone, to connect people to each other, and make personal computing available everywhere even as the very notion of what a PC delivers makes its way into all devices.

We have accomplished a lot together during our first 40 years and empowered countless businesses and people to realize their full potential. But what matters most now is what we do next. Thank you for helping make Microsoft a fantastic company now and for decades to come.

边缘视频：比尔·盖茨谈2030年世界将如何改变