Bill who?
What can anyone say about Bill Gates that hasn’t already been said, told or explained?
You remember that geek, one of the founders of Microsoft when still in college in the early ‘80’s. Thirty years later, to some it’s easy to say he’s the richest man in the world, but does really rich mean he turned out OK?
Starting from a struggling software company, he has gone on to become a visionary when there was so little to see, and helped create this entire industry right from its infancy. Microsoft hasn’t just changed the way we do things, it has changed the way we think, the way we work, the entire competitive landscape across every industry it touches. It hasn’t been perfect for everyone, but it sure has been an interesting ride.
Microsoft and Bill Gates are so closely related in all our minds, I can’t think of the company without thinking of BG. To him, it must feel like he has lived the history of Microsoft, and some days he may not be able to tell the difference.
I’m glad he has been such an important part of this industry, and truth be told, what would most of us have been doing to earn a good living without people like Bill Gates and Microsoft around?
I don’t think we’ll hear the last of him of him for a while. Microsoft is only one of his dreams, and now he is getting ready to move on and live another. We’ve heard about his drive for charities, and besides, giving out money you can afford to give out can’t be all bad – and he’ll have the time to do it how he wants with who he wants.
Will the future say “Bill who?” or is the real legacy of Bill Gates around the corner?
Frank Abate is a CDN columnist and former Mississauga, Ont. VAR owner
