Bill Gates has squashed recent speculation that he may return to Microsoft. It all started when Fortune posted an article about how frustrated Microsoft's investors have become with Steve Ballmer. Some blamed the CEO for the stock's under-performance, saying that the software giant is missing the sense of a " benevolent dictator." Further, Ballmer was found guilty for missing out on the significance of the "post-PC era" and now the company is being left in the cold by competitors like Apple and Samsung. Gates, in Australia on a holiday with his family, gave an interview to Sydney Morning Herald in which he denied Fortune's speculations, stating he would not return to Microsoft and planned to work as a philanthropist for the rest of his life. He also said that he is still involved at Microsoft, but on a part-time basis, because his foundation is more important to him.

I'm part-time involved with Microsoft, including even being in touch this week to give some of my advice but that's not going to change – the foundation requires all of my energy and we feel we're having a great impact.

Gates retired from his day-to-day activities at Microsoft in 2006 and started focusing on his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to which he has donated the bulk of his $33 billion fortune. Asked about Apple and Steve Jobs by the SMH, Gates said that he knows that Steve Jobs was not so kind with Microsoft, but he was brilliant:

Our work at Microsoft was super successful for all good reasons but Steve made huge contributions and he actually in his last few years was a lot kinder than that, but over the years he did say some tough things.