I’m sure you have all seen the massive amount of press coverage surrounding Bill Gates. Today Gates officially stepped down from his top job at Microsoft to turn his full attention to running
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable foundation he and his wife founded in 2000.
Two years ago I had the opportunity to sit down with Gates for an exclusive one on one interview. Now we all know that Bill Gates is brilliant, driven, successful, hard working and one of the wealthiest people in the world. As a matter of fact, this year marks the first year since 1995 that Gates has not been THE richest man in the world. During my sit down with Gates I learned a few things about him that most people may not know……
1. HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE THE RICHEST PERSON IN THE WORLD. I said to him, “You’re a competitive person, would it ever upset you if you weren’t the richest guy in the world?” And Gates’ responded, "I wish I wasn't, there's nothing good that comes out of that," he said. "You get more visibility as a result of it."
2. HE’LL NEVER RUN FOR OFFICE. When I asked Gates if he would follow in the footsteps of other wealthy Americans who have entered into the political arena, Gates told me, "I certainly will never be a politician”. When I pressed him and asked why he replied, “For every reason. I wouldn't like it, I wouldn't be elected. I'm better at what I'm doing."
3. HE DOESN’T CARRY A WALLET. I asked him, "What did you carry around in your wallet.... how much cash are we talkin here?" to which he replied, "I don't carry a wallet around that often". I guess when you’re that rich you don’t have to!
4. HE DOESN'T HAVE AN iPOD. Ok duh, this was a given but I had to ask just to hear what his response would be. "I don't have an iPod. I think a phone is a nice portable device to have one's music on...and I think some other people may do that in the future too, we'll see." he said.
5. HE LOVES GOING TO THE MOVIES. I asked him, "Is it tough for you go to a soccer game with your kids or to just go to the movies?" He told me, "No, the movies are great - they turn the lights out!" "I'm not bothered when I'm out in public or anything," he said. "Somebody might ask for a signature, rarely, but that's not a difficult thing."