Bill Gates: Microsoft 'better positioned than ever' under Nadella

As Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) turns 40 years old, founder Bill Gates wrote a letter to employees pointing out the company's progress and hinting at its future. "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," Gates wrote.

Gates also praised Satya Nadella, Microsoft's new CEO, who is working to focus Microsoft on what Nadella has described as a "mobile-first, cloud-first" future. "Under Satya's leadership, Microsoft is better positioned than ever to lead these advances. We have the resources to drive and solve tough problems," Gates wrote.

Indeed, Gates' comments come as Nadella directs Microsoft into a new and much more open future. During the past few months Microsoft has made the surprising move to release versions of its popular Office apps that run on rival platforms like Android and iOS. Microsoft is also poised to release the next version of its Windows operating system, Windows 10, that is intended to run on PCs, tablets and smartphones.

For the full text of Gates' letter, click here.