Bill Gates 'Not Satisfied' with Microsoft Innovation

In a recent interview with CBS This Morning, Microsoft chairman and former chief executive officer Bill Gates said he's "not satisfied" with Microsoft's level of innovation in recent years.

However, the comment was not so much a criticism of current Microsoft executives, including CEO Steve Ballmer, than a push for the company to achieve greater things.

Gates Admits Microsoft Made "A Mistake" in Mobile Market

Much of Gates' interview revolved around Microsoft's recent attempt to make a bigger splash in the mobile market -- a sector of the technology industry largely ignored (or missed) by the Redmond, Washington-based company.

"There's a lot of things like cellphones where we didn't get out in the lead very early," Gates noted. (Source: latimes.com)

In elaborating on that point, the 57-year-old billionaire said that Microsoft "didn't miss cellphones, but the way we went about it didn't allow us to get the leadership. It's clearly a mistake."

When asked by CBS interviewer Charlie Rose about recent criticisms of Microsoft, Gates laughed and said that he and Ballmer are "two of the most self-critical people I can imagine."

Gates: Windows 8 "Key to the Future"

The discussion then transitioned to an analysis of Steve Ballmer's work as CEO.

"There were a lot of amazing things that Steve's leadership got done with the company last year," Gates said.

The billionaire added that he believes "Windows 8 is key to the future," and that he has high hopes for other Microsoft software and hardware products, including the Surface tablet computer, the Bing search engine, and the Xbox video game console.

"But is it enough?" Gates then asked. "No, [Steve Ballmer] and I are not satisfied that in terms of breakthrough things that we're doing everything possible." (Source: cbsnews.com)

Gates also took some time to discuss other matters in his life, including philanthropy, his work helping to find cheaper and cleaner energy sources, and even his own personal sleep habits (apparently Gates feels that "If I get less than 7 hours, my IQ starts to drop").