Tears and triumphs as Gates says his final goodbye

Davey Winder
Saturday, 28 June 2008 03:44

IT Industry - Strategy

For me though, I have to jump forward to 1995 and a press conference at the Redmond campus where Bill Gates effectively announces that Microsoft is going to take the Internet seriously after all. He wrote the 'Internet Tidal Wave' memo to ensure everyone in the company understood the importance of the emerging Internet market.

Something that, until that point, had all  but escaped them. Microsoft had thought that it could build a proprietary online service in MSN that would compete with rather than be a part of the Internet revolution. How wrong can you be? 1995 was also, it has to be remembered, the year that Windows 95 shipped and within two years the company would see revenues breaking USD $10 billion for the first time.

Perhaps, in the end, it will not be the Microsoft legacy that is writ large upon the tombstone of William Henry Gates III. Instead, if his great plan to change the world succeeds, it will be the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for which he is best remembered. Founded in 2000, it has with the help of Warren Buffet become the largest transparently operated charitable operation in the world with assets totalling more than USD $37 billion.

I have written much about Bill Gates during the 20 years I have been a technology journalist. I have listened to him speak, I have asked him questions, I have disagreed with many of his decisions. I cannot honestly say I too was wiping a way a tear today, but I do think the world of technology will miss the man who made Microsoft.

Good luck Bill, not that I think you will need it...