Bill Gates chokes back tears while discussing the quest for new Microsoft CEO

After 13 years at the helm, Steve Ballmer is stepping down from his chief executive role at Microsoft and Ballmer bid an emotional farewell on stage a few weeks ago, trying to hold back tears. Now, the man most people still associate Microsoft with, co-founder Bill Gates, tried to not burst into tears as he discussed how the company has only had two CEOs in all of its existence and obviously showed how much of an emotional process this is.

"I want to say thanks for the leadership over the last 13 years," Gates opened his remarks. "It’s a real privilege to lead the incredibly talented group of employees we have."

"We’ve got a commitment to make sure the next CEO is the right person for right time for the company we both love," Gates added and right after that the emotions started to overwhelm him and he stopped for a moment to hold back the tears. "We share a commitment that Microsoft will succeed as a company that makes the world a better place," Gates concluded.

Right now, it seems that two candidates are on the shortlist with Nokia chief executive and former Microsoft employee Stephen Elop leading the ranks and Ford chief executive Alan Mulally also a possible candidate.