Bill Gates

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Bill Gates Page 21

by Michael Becraft


  Cerf, Vinton, 115

  Civic involvement, Gates family, 5

  Codex Leicester, 146 – 47

  Common Core Educational Standards, 162

  Competitive advantage, 71

  “Compu-Chess” product, 35

  Computer Center Corporation (CCC), 10

  Computer programming: copyright protection of, 29 – 31; skill sets required for success, 8 – 9

  Consent decrees, 75 – 78, 105 – 6

  CONTU (Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works), 35

  Copyright protection, 29 – 31, 34, 35, 44 – 48

  Corbis, 141 – 44

  Core competences, 71

  Corporate piracy, 33

  Creative Capitalism (Gates), 158

  Criticisms of Bill Gates, 8

  Cross-licensing agreements, 61

  Cutler Anderson Architects, 130

  Data evaluation, 11 – 13

  DaVinci, Leonardo, 146 – 47

  Davos, Switzerland, forum, 158

  Deere and Company, 141

  Department of Justice, 75 – 78, 121

  Development costs, 30, 35

  Digital Nervous System, 63 – 64

  DOS—Disk Operating System, 26

  Dream machine, 26

  Early mover advantage, 27

  E-book readers, 64

  EcoLab, 141

  80 Microcomputing (magazine), 34

  86-DOS, 40

  Eisner, Michael, 7

  Electronic mail, 54 – 55

  Ellison, Larry, 57 – 58, 166

  Emulation, 11, 13, 17

  Facebook, 135 – 37

  FCC (Fomento de Constucciones & Contratas), 141

  First-mover advantage, 69, 70

  For-profit Internet companies, 114

  Four Seasons Hotels, Inc., 140 – 41

  Franklin Computer Corporation, 44 – 48

  Gates, Bill, 9, 47, 56, 61, 79, 95, 142; as “argumentative young boy,” 3 – 4; and Berkshire Hathaway, 137 – 38; birth, 1; brash self-confidence of, 24 – 25; children, 126 – 29; as college dropout, 20 – 22; as Congressional page, 12; credits luck, 1, 2, 14; criticisms of, 8; dwindling ownership interest in Microsoft, 138 – 42; early access to computers, 7 – 8, 10 – 11; early civic involvement, 4 – 5; early PC dream, 26; educational background, 10; eligible bachelor, 49; as employee, 12; empowering women, 137; emulation skills, 11, 13; entrepreneur ranking, 104; external shareholdings, 140; fearing failure, 59; Harvard education, 12 – 13, 16, 17, 19 – 20; headstrong nature of, 4, 12; inspiring other billionaires, 135 – 37; intellectual curiosity, 12 – 13; intellectual property win, 44 – 48; intense nature of, 37 – 38; leadership personality, 8; leaving Microsoft, 158 – 59; on legacy, 129; and Leonardo DaVinci, 146 – 47; LinkedIn presence of, 138; marriage, 123 – 26; memorandums to staff, 43 – 44; on Microsoft failings, 119; Microsoft technology advisor, 139; nickname, 2; opportunities lost, 64; ownership interest in Microsoft, 138 – 40; parental encouragement of, 3; Paul Allen partnership agreement, 31; personal wealth, 52, 62, 149, 150; pie in the face incident, 149 – 50; programming addiction, 12; religion, 127; reputation as a boss, 36 – 37; science and mathematics background, 8 – 9; siblings, 3; successful partnerships, 7, 11, 23; teacher influencers of, 8 – 9; as voracious reader, 3, 10; writings, 113; youthful preeminence, 13 – 14

  Gates, Mary Maxwell (mother), 1 – 2, 21, 38 – 39, 125

  Gates, Melinda French (wife), 123 – 26, 160

  Gates, William Henry II (Bill, Sr.), 1 – 2, 5, 20, 147, 153 – 54

  Gates, William Henry III. See Gates, Bill

  Gates children, 126 – 29

  Gates family estate, 129 – 33

  Gates Foundation. See Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

  Gates-Jobs relationship, 107 – 10

  Gates Millennium Scholarship Fund, 149, 162

  Gilbert, Paul, 11 – 13

  The Giving Pledge, 164 – 66

  Gladwell, Malcolm, 13, 14

  Godin, Noel, 149 – 50

  Google, 115

  Google Chromebook, 58

  Gore, Al, Jr., 115

  Grove, Andy, 56

  GUI (graphical user interface), 53

  Gupta, Sanjay, 161 – 62

  Guth, Robert, 4

  Hastings, Reed, 166

  Hatch, Orrin, 82 – 83

  Have the Courts Smashed Software Copyright?, 34

  HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities), 148 – 49

  Heiner, David, 90

  Herbold, Bob, 152

  High-speed Internet, 79

  Hobbyists, 14, 24, 29 – 31

  Huston, James, 45

  IBM: first personal computers, 37 – 38; hires Microsoft, 38 – 42; Joint Development Agreement, 49; PC introduction, 40 – 42; Windows project, 47

  Icahn, Carl, 166

  InfoFlows, 144

  “Information highway,” 115

  Intellectual property, 29 – 31, 34 – 36, 44 – 48, 65 – 66

  Internet, 56 – 59, 114

  Internet Explorer, 78, 79, 80 – 81, 91

  Internet Tidal Wave memo (Gates), 56 – 57, 78

  Jackson, Thomas Penfield, 76, 90, 96, 99 – 102

  JBHE foundation, 148 – 49

  Jobs, Steve: battle with Sculley, 50; death, 110 – 11; Microsoft investment, 60 – 62; and PARC, 53; youthful preeminence, 13 – 14, 16

  Jobs – Gates relationship, 107 – 10

  “JS&A Chess Computer,” 35

  Kahn, Robert, 115

  Kawamoto, Dawn, 84

  Kollar-Kotelly, Colleen, 103

  Lakeside School, 7, 8, 10, 42, 117

  Larson, Michael, 140

  Larson, There, 141

  Library Project, 147 – 48

  Licensed copies. See Intellectual property

  Licensing fees, 77

  LinkedIn, 138

  Linux operating system, 99

  Litan, Robert, 95

  Lotus 1 – 2 – 3, 120

  Lucas, George, 166

  Macintosh computers, 44, 47, 60

  Maestretti, Gary, 8

  Mainframe computers, 40

  Man – machine interface, 44

  Master Create program, 45

  Masters of Enterprise (Brands), 24 – 25

  McNealy, Scott, 153

  Microsoft: 1997 shareholder meeting, 62 – 64; Allen and, 42 – 43; Apple investment, 60 – 62; Applications Strategy Memo, 43 – 44; Ballmer and, 37 – 38, 66 – 67, 139; competitors, 25; default operating system, 70; dispute with MITS, 32 – 34; earliest employees, 24 – 25; early adoption of power, 31 – 32; electronic mail, 54 – 55; employee longevity, 34; employee youth, 28; first-mover advantage, 27, 69; Gates’s age at founding, 24; Gates’s departure, 158 – 59; Gates’s dwindling ownership interest in, 138 – 42; Gates’s memorandums to staff, 43 – 44; Gates’s parents’ view of, 24; intellectual property, 29 – 30, 34 – 36, 65 – 66; Internet, 56 – 59; Joint Development Agreement with IBM, 49; married to MITS, 29; named by Paul Allen, 24; open letter to hobbyists, 29 – 31; operating systems and, 32, 33 – 34, 38 – 42; personnel for growth, 36 – 42; profitability, 72 – 73; programming languages, 39; publicly traded, 50 – 51; quick turnaround, success and, 27 – 29; startup money for, 20; time-sensitive nature of startup, 25; vertical integration, 72; wealth generator, 52. See also Microsoft antitrust trial

  Micro-Soft. See Microsoft

  Microsoft antitrust trial: appeals court, 100 – 104; “applications business,” 97; backdrop in case, 98 – 99; competition, 78; contempt motion, 78; end of sanctions, 105 – 6; findings of fact, 90 – 93; first consent decree, 75 – 78; Gates deposition, 84 – 87; Gates response to findings of fact, 94; Gates testimony, 87 – 89; Internet Explorer, 80 – 81; judge Jackson under fire, 99 – 100; leaked memo, 90; October 20, 1997, 78 – 80; “operating system business,” 96; post-trial legacy, 104 – 5; renewed attack, 95 – 98; second consent decree, 105 – 6; and Senate Judiciary Committee, 82 – 83

  Micros
oft Bob, 125

  Microsoft Office, 26

  Minority education, wealth disparity and, 148 – 49

  MITS, Microsoft dispute with, 32 – 34

  Morgan, John Pierpont (J.P.), 145, 146

  Mosaic Communications Corporation, 64

  Moscovitz, Dustin, 166

  Mouse, introduction of, 47

  MS-DOS, 37 – 39

  Musk, Elon, 166

  Myhrvold, Nathan, 14

  Nadella, Satya, 139 – 40

  Nader, Ralph, 62 – 63, 150 – 53

  Napster, 29

  NCSA Mosaic, 114

  Netscape, 57, 64, 80, 98, 114

  NeXT computer company, 50

  Nondisclosure agreements, 31

  O’Hare (code name), 57, 78, 80. See also Internet Explorer

  Omega database, 120

  On-demand entertainment, 132

  Opel, John R., 39

  Open Letter to Hobbyists (Gates), 29 – 31, 34 – 35, 40, 71, 113

  Operating systems, 38 – 42

  Oracle, 98

  OS/2 operating system, 49, 52 – 53, 69 – 70, 120

  Outliers (Gladwell), 28

  Paperless office, 38, 47

  Paper tapes, 11

  PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), 27, 53

  Partnership agreement, Paul Allen, 31, 43

  Partnerships, invaluable nature of, 7, 11, 23

  Patents or copyrights, 35

  Path dependence, 70 – 71

  PC alternative, 57 – 58

  “Per processor” license agreements, 77

  Personal computers, 13 – 16, 26 – 27, 37 – 38

  Philanthropy, role models for, 145 – 46

  Pie in the face incident, 149 – 50

  Pixar, 50

  Popular Electronics, 13, 15

  Price, Sol, 151

  Programming language, 32, 39. See also BASIC programming language

  QDOS—Quick and Dirty Operating System, 40

  Queenan, Joe, 118

  Quinlan, Patty, 166

  Radio Shack, 42

  “Registration and Non-Disclosure Agreement,” 40

  Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, 161

  Republic Services, 141

  The Road Ahead (Gates), 14, 18, 19, 116 – 18

  The Road Ahead, 2e (Gates), 118 – 19

  Roberts, Ed, 17, 32 – 33

  Rockefeller, John D., 145 – 46

  Rolling Stones, 58

  Rothschild, Michael, 152

  Rule, Charles F., 77

  Saverin, Eduardo, 135 – 37

  Sculley, John, 50, 53, 54

  Seattle Computer Products, 40 – 41

  Shenk, Gary, 142, 143

  Sherman Antitrust Act (1890), 72, 79, 90

  Simonyi, Charles, 38, 54

  Skoll, Jeff, 166

  Software Asset Management (SAM) initiative, 65

  Software development: costs, 71 – 72; individuals suited to, 36 – 37

  Splash News, 143

  Sporkin, Stanley, 76, 77, 101, 103

  Spyglass, 114

  Stack ranking (HR practice), 55

  Standard operating system, essential nature of, 31 – 32

  “Start Me Up” (Rolling Stones), 58

  STEM disciplines, 165 – 66

  Steve Jobs (Isaacson), 111

  Stocklim, Paul, 8

  Sun Microsystems, 98

  Tape readers, 11 – 12

  Teachers, importance of, 9

  Technology collaboration, 61

  Technology failures at home, 133

  Tennant, Don, 119

  Time-sharing, 8, 10

  Torvalds, Linus, 99

  Trade secrets, 31, 54

  Traf-O-Data, 11 – 13

  Trey (Bill Gates’s nickname), 2, 3, 20

  TRIPS (Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), 65, 66

  TRS-80 computer, 34

  TRS-80 Model III, 42

  Trustworthy Computing Memo (Gates), 122

  Tuna, Cari, 166

  Turner, Ted, 151, 166

  Unfair competition laws, 31

  United Negro College Fund (UNCF), 149

  United Way International, 2

  Use taxes (Washington state), 146 – 47

  Vaccinations, 161 – 62

  Vaporware, 50

  Veer, 143

  Vertical integration, 72

  Virtuous cycle, Microsoft’s, 70

  Wakefield, [Andrew], 162

  Walters, Barbara, 126, 133

  Washington state use taxes, 146 – 47

  Wealth disparity, 148 – 49, 153

  Webb, Rick, 60

  Windows: 3.0 success, 55; first release, 50; the only option, 59; OS/2 operating system, 49, 52 – 53; second version released, 52 – 53

  Windows 95, 58 – 59, 78

  Women, empowerment of, 137

  Working Together, Why Great Partnerships Succeed (Eisner), 7, 123

  World Economic Forum Conference (2008), 158

  WORLD WAR 3.0, 94

  Wozniak, Steve, 16

  Wright, Fred, 8

  Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), 27, 38, 47, 53

  Yahoo!, 115

  Zuckerberg, Mark, 135 – 37, 166

  About the Author

  DR. MICHAEL B. BECRAFT is the Edward F. Lyle Professor of Finance and Director of the Graduate Program in Business for the Park University School of Business, with an office location in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

 

 


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