It’s been 16 years since Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft and succeeded by Steve Ballmer, but the now philanthropist for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation still has a lot to say about the company he co-founded with Paul Allen back in 1975. The former exec recently sat down with American financier and philanthropist David Rubinstein for the first episode of a new series of interviews with the most influential people in business on Bloomberg.
In the 25 minutes video, Bill Gates addresses several interesting topics such as his early obsession with software and computers, explaining that his parents were supportive of his passion and allowed him to drop out of Harvard. As a young-looking entrepreneur, Gates also recalled that it was not always easy for him to be taken seriously by the establishment, though the former CEO quickly became a billionaire after the company went public in 1986. “That whole period of time was amazing,” he explained, adding that “the idea that I could hire so quickly and build this worldwide company was fascinating to me.”
Additionally, Gates also reflected on his friendship with American businessman Warren Buffett, one of the world’s wealthiest people behind himself. While Gates was initially not interested in meeting with someone which business “doesn’t invent anything,” he laters describes the investor as a “broad system thinker” who went to give him a lot of useful advice on several topics.
The whole video is a must-watch if you want to learn more about Gates’ fascinating journey to success, let us know your thoughts about the interview in the comments below.
