Bill Gates NoN 20 Questions

Q5. Would you say that you are naturally gifted?

Answer: I believe reading the encyclopaedia from a-z at a young age had a lot to do with it. Not only did it increase my knowledge but I believe it helped me to logically solve problems.

Q2. Do you believe that you have a natural talent for computer software programing?

Answer: It seems so. I had an interest in computing at middle school and taught myself all about them. Between my friend, Paul Allen and I, we worked out how to further develop computers so that they could be used by anyone, including computer dummies.

Q9. Is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as important as Microsoft?

Answer: Absolutely. It is perhaps more important at this stage of my life. I spend more time managing my charity then consulting at Microsoft. The foundation is focusing on why a person from a poor country is so much worse off than somebody from a country that's well-off. There are about 15 diseases we want to eradicate and polio is the single thing I work on the most. Nutrition is important and most poor people are farmers so we are in focusing on agriculture as well. That involves also looking at climate issues.

Q10. How are you planning to get rid of child mortality?

Answer: Child morality is devastating. Back in 1990 about 12 percent of children were dying before they reached the age of five. We have reduced that statistic down to 5 percent and trying to further reduce it by providing vaccines.

Q15. What is your proudest achievement?

Answer: I am extremely proud that my charity has reduced the percentage of child morality. Although the Foundation work is making progress and will grow over the decades ahead, I still think the chance to be part of the software revolution was the biggest thing I have gotten to do.

Q14. At what point did you become interested in charity work?

Answer: I became interested in helping needy children in 2000 following an article that I had read on the amount of suffering in third world countries. "Every child has the right to a healthy and productive life". My wife and I decided to use the wealth that we're lucky enough to have and give it back in a way that impacts the world.

Q7. Where did the name Microsoft come from?

Answer: I can't the credit for that as it was Paul Allen's creativity. The name came about after the invention of the microprocessor, which was major for the entire technology industry. Paul could predict that this would increase computer sales and that those computers would need software. The word 'Microsoft' came from "MICROprocessor" and "SOFTware." It appropriately described our mission to be "Software for Microprocessors".

Q16. Explain why you didn't finish your course at Harvard University.

Answer: I chose a pre-law major but took mathematics and computer science courses. My interest was obviously in computers. Two years into my degree, the Altair 8800 was released and Paul Allen and I saw this as an opportunity to start our own computer software company. We wanted to make and sell the software for the new computer before someone else did.

Q6. Did you have much of a social life during your younger years?

Answer: I didn't have much of a social life as a teenager, mostly because I was in the computer lab for most of my secondary schooling. My only good friend was Paul Allen because we spent our time together in the lab. Though, I did have more friends before I discovered computers.

Q17. How do you like to spend your free time?

Answer: I like to spend my free time reading books and writing reviews about them on my website. I also enjoy playing tennis and Bridge. In fact, I have been known to attend a Bridge tournament or two.

Q18. What regrets do you have?

Answer: I was arrested when I was 22 because I ran a red light without a license. That was simply reckless. Thankfully, I didn't hurt anyone else. I also regret not being able to speak more than one language.

Q1. Explain what inspired you to start writing software

Answer: I was inspired when I was at Lakeside middle school. They had a computer lab and I was instantly intrigued. I spent most of my days on the computers and taught myself how to program. The lab allowed me free time on the computers to create software.

Q3. Describe when your software programming career began.

Answer: I was part of the Lakeside Programmers Group at middle school and we were allowed free computer time in exchange for writing computer programs. Paul Allen and I took on the challenge of writing software to make traffic counters. Paul and I chose to go into partnership and recruit classmates. This was the beginning of our newly formed company, Traf-o-data. We made around $20,000 from that software. o make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor

Q19. What will Bill Gates be doing in 2032?

Answer: I will be 76 at that time and still working for a better world. The Foundation with have been involved in eradicating a number of diseases and the health in poor countries will be a lot better. The rate of children under 5 dying will be 2.5% instead of the current 5%.

Q12. What advice would you give entrepreneurs?

Answer: I would advise them to have a passion for what they are doing, persevere even when things are challenging, and understand the future market. I encourage them to be surrounded by people who challenge, teach, and push them to be their best.

Q4. When was Microsoft formed?

Answer: In 1975, Paul Allen and I had been asked to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. We realised that 'Traf-o-data' was not the right name anymore because we would be writing software for any industry or user. At the same time, the microprocessor had been invented and we wanted to join that technological advancement. So our name changed to Microsoft. Our operating system business began in 1980 and we launched MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows was released in 1985.

Q8. In your opinion, have you changed the world?

Answer: In some ways. Microsoft was the first real software company and put a PC on every desk, in every home. Some forty years later, computers are not just on our desktops but also in our pockets. Technology has certainly come along way with more innovation to come. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is also making some change. It has donated about $41 Billion US dollars to help fight disease in third world countries, reduce poverty, give children a better life, help farmers, and provide access to information technology.

Q11. How did you and Paul Allen meet?

Answer: In the computer lab of course! Paul came over to talk to me about what I was doing and to ask for some help with something he was working on. We worked on many lab projects together which led to creating Traf-o-data.

Q13. How do you picture IT in the future?

Answer: There will be more progress in the next 30 years than ever. Robots will be able to see and move in beyond just picking fruit or moving a hospital patient. Microsoft has a project underway which aims to remember everything and help you go back and find things and help you pick what things to pay attention to.