Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Co-founder of Microsoft, known for amassing vast wealth and now giving it away through the world's largest charitable foundation.
On the island
Eight records
The keepsakes
The book
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:51Is it true that your life and appointments are timed in one-minute slots?
Well, I'm very busy, but no, I I don't do one minute meetings and I I do leave a lot of time so I can read and think about things.
Presenter asks
2:47Is there a part of your heart that is always in technological innovation, and what excites you in that world right now?
The digital revolution, which keeps moving at an incredible pace, not only do I try and stay up on that, it's also part of how we're going to lift up the lives of poor people, like doing digital banking on phones. That's my original career, but now applied not just to people willing to pay for software, but for those in the world who are worst off.
Presenter asks
6:39Why did you want to give back all the money you made?
What do you don't have many choices. I mean, you're not going to spend it on yourself. And we think only a small portion should go to our kids so that they can have their own careers and make their own way. And so that leaves most of it for Melinda and I to work on how should it be spent for the most needy in the world.
The Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker
Well, my favorite book is by Steven Pinker, and it's called The Better Angels of Our Nature. And it's a brilliant discussion of how humanity's treating humanity better. Less deaths, less slavery over time. I'm always telling people to read the book, but it's very long. So on the Desert Island, I guess I'll get to read it many times.
The luxury
a collection of DVDs of the world's great lectures
I love these lectures, so I'd load up a whole bunch of DVDs of all the world's great lectures.
Presenter asks
13:31When you were 12, your parents were worried enough to send you to a child psychologist. What was the problem?
I was a bit disruptive. I I started early on sort of questioning were their rules logical and uh always to be followed. So there's a tiny bit of tension there as I was kind of pushing back. And the person they sent me to was very nice and, you know, got me reading a lot about psychology and Freud and stuff like that. And he'd convinced me that it was kind of an unfair thing that I I would challenge my parents and it really wasn't proving anything. So by the time I was fourteen I got over that, which is good because then they were very supportive as I started to really engage in writing software and learning different computer things.
Presenter asks
23:00Would you say you were ruthless in business?
No, only if you define having super low prices as ruthless. It's hard to compete with somebody who's betting on the volume and saying, hey, we're going to have share by having these super low prices. That's very intimidating. And in that sense, yes, we were aggressive.
Presenter asks
31:11Why is it that when you do something, you have to do it to the nth degree?
Oh, a little bit, sure. I think if you're in science, you learn to be good at being self-critical and questioning your assumptions. I've always thought being intense about things is kind of a young, fun, energetic way to go about things. And I hope in the decades ahead as we're trying to do these ambitious goals, I keep that kind of intensity. I can't answer exactly why I'm a l a little more intense than other people. I'm no more intense than Steve Jobs was, I'll say that.
“I knew that the wealth I had from Microsoft, Melinda and I wanted to give it back in the most impactful way.”
“I was quite fanatical about work. I worked weekends. I didn't really believe in vacations.”
“To whom much is given, uh much is expected.”
“I think if you're in science, you learn to be good at being self-critical and questioning your assumptions.”
“I'm no more intense than Steve Jobs was, I'll say that.”