Satya Nadella in Contract Talks With Microsoft Board - WSJ.com

Nadella as Microsoft CEO, John W. Thompson as chairman, and Bill Gates as de facto Chief Software Architect, even part-time, would be a sensible scenario

"Mr. Nadella's appointment could lead to a new role for Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and chairman. Mr. Nadella has asked that Mr. Gates "spend more time on technology and strategy" to assist him as CEO, according to person familiar with the matter, raising the question of whether Mr. Gates would have time to do that while serving as board chairman and continuing his extensive philanthropic work."

Satya Nadella in Contract Talks With Microsoft Board - WSJ.com