Bill Gates has rubbed shoulders with many of the world’s top politicians over the years, but 30 years ago he was telling potential Microsoft recruits that working in government is “for when you’re old and stupid”.
The revelation comes in the first chapter of former Windows chief Steven Sinofsky’s autobiography, which is being published online.
Sinofsky recounts a phone call he received from Bill Gates in 1989, trying to convince him to join the software firm. After passing a day of grueling interviews at Microsoft’s Seattle HQ, Sinofsky was made an offer to join the company on a salary of $37,500 and with 1,500 non-qualified stock options.
However, the young coder dithered over to whether to join the firm, weighing up whether to pursue a career in government instead.
With Sinofsky still weighing up his options, Gates called him, telling him he was on a list of ten people that Gates was “supposed to call” and “convince them to work at Microsoft”.
When Gates asked why Sinofsky hadn’t yet accepted the company’s job offer, Sinofsky replied: “I’m considering other things. I have been really interested in government service.”
To which Gates told him: “Government? That’s for when you’re old and stupid.”
Microsoft veteran
Gates’s no-nonsense pep talk did the trick, as Sinofsky joined the firm, going on to head up the development of two of Microsoft’s biggest products: Office and Windows. Indeed, it was Sinofsky who led the development of Windows 7, arguably Microsoft’s most popular operating system ever.
He was also in charge when Microsoft made the bold leap to Windows 8, the first major version of Windows to accommodate touchscreen controls. Although Windows 8 was widely panned, it laid the foundations for the much better-received Windows 10.
Sinofsky left Microsoft in 2012 and was among those tipped to replace Steve Ballmer as CEO, before the job went to Satya Nadella. He’s now a board partner at Andreesen Horowitz... and still waiting for that call from the government.
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February 01, 2021 at 09:57PM
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Bill Gates: Working In Government Is “For When You’re Old And Stupid” - Forbes
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