The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 4 (of 5)

Bill Gates on Charlie Rose

Bill Gates was on Charlie Rose for an hour this evening. I learned a couple of things:
1) Bill has lost a lot of weight and looks younger than he did a couple of years ago
2) Charlie really, really likes rich people
3) Bill's vision of the future usually takes the form of scenerios where applications of advanced software technology will allow people to get their sports scores faster and more conveniently
4) Bill claims that "Longhorn will be as big a change as the original windows" but offers absolutely no specifics
Bill is much more boring to watch than Donald Trump. Is this because Longhorn is more boring than "Trump Ice" or am I missing something?

PBS Fund-drive freeloader
Thursday, March 4, 2004

I thought it was fairly interesting. Part of the percieved (yours and mine) blandness of Gates's vision, I think, is the fact that Microsoft is a mature company. But as chief technologist, he is always in the position of trying to make it seem younger than it is.

Besides, there is some subterfuge here. It's not like Gates is going to do anything but lay the company's marketing message out on the table. I suppose Rose gave him enough rope with which to hang himself, but Gates is good at avoiding those traps.

But watching Gates speak is a good refresher on Microsoft's current marketing, and it's a fond reminder that in America a man like Gates (with that posture!) is on top. :)

indeed
Thursday, March 4, 2004

Bill Gates is one of the best salesmen I have ever listened to.

1 - There is something kind of hypnotic about listening to him speak, it is nothing to do with what he says, its his rythm and inflection. In fact there has to be in order for him to get away with talking for so long to say so little.

2 - He answers every question with a sales pitch. Every single one. He is totally focused on what microsoft is doing. If you asked him what he thought about gender issues or crime in a public forum his answer would end with "... and thats part of what we are doing at microsoft".

3 - His clarity of thought and expression is exceptional. It may come from practice and sticking to scripts or it may be just because he is a very sharp guy.

braid_ged
Thursday, March 4, 2004

I'd like to know what was said.

Has a transcipt appeared anywhere on the web?

Ged Byrne
Thursday, March 4, 2004

Maybe my view of the future just doesn't mesh with Bill's, but I've never found him to be particuarly compelling to listen to.

Then again, he's usually marketting towards people less tech savvy than I am, so perhaps that explains it.

Sum Dum Gai
Thursday, March 4, 2004

Bill seemed to be on-key as always with Charlie Rose. You have to keep in mind that Bill was also doing rounds with CS students at Boston-area elite schools, so he had to stick with the unknown future having "so much" potential. I wonder what was said to the MIT students.

C Science
Thursday, March 4, 2004