Billionaire, philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has a pretty clear view of some of his peers, the big tech bosses.
During an interview at the Economic Club of New York, which presented him with an award, Bill Gates compared himself to Elon Musk, multi-head of Twitter, SpaceX and even Tesla, and to Steve Jobs, former head of Apple, who died in 2011.
The discussion, which focused on the lessons learned by Bill Gates during his career at the head of Microsoft, quickly addressed his two rivals, reports the specialized media Business Insider.
“Elon goes further”
“Each one is different. Elon goes further, perhaps too much. Steve Jobs goes further, and perhaps too much too,” said the businessman.
The rivalry between Apple and Microsoft has never been a secret. When Steve Jobs died in 2011, Bill Gates reiterated his respect for the man who had been his rival, stating that this relationship fostered innovation and creativity.
As for Elon Musk, their relationship is more like “I don’t love you either.” In 2022, Gates said that Musk had been “particularly rude to him” but was anyway “to everyone” and therefore should not take it personally. Whether running Twitter, SpaceX, or even Tesla, Musk is not known for being a supportive boss.
Bill Gates acknowledged, however, that it takes “a certain intensity” to succeed as a leader. “When he was 20, he was monomaniacal, focused on Microsoft,” he said. “He didn’t believe in weekends or vacations.”
Source: BFM TV
