It is the end of an era, no matter which side of the fence your on. Don't know if MS will be the same without him. I do however think his opinions will shape the industry long after he departs. Perhaps it will have more of an impact when he is on the sideline looking in. I will however never take it too serious as long as he has interests with MS.
Bill has seen the writing on the wall. The business model upon which M$ is built will not survive. Flogging more complicated and more expensive operating systems and office suites just doesn't cut it anymore. Vista is years late and nobody needs it. The only reason that XP and Office sells is because M$ locked customers in with previous versions. It cannot last and Bill knows it.