I am writing to let you know that I will retire as CEO of Microsoft within the next 12 months, after a successor is chosen. There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time.

The right time would have been sometime during 2007 but hey, better late than never.

Make no mistake, whatever the wording of this announcement, there’s nothing voluntary about his decision: he was showed the door. It amazes me how this man could hold on to his job for so long, especially when it became obvious just how clueless he was as to how to adapt his company to compete in a post-iPhone world.

Microsoft has wasted a few precious years in the mobile race thanks to this man’s arrogance and lack of foresight. Instead of leading the mobile revolution, they now find themselves playing catch-up against two great front runners who aren’t even looking in the rearview mirror.