An Audience with Bill Gates

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Basically, in most cases, you've got to give people something to care about. A vote is not the ultimate thing. If your child's dying of malaria, if they're starving to death, saying "Go in to this booth and vote..." that's not like some big thing where they go "Wow. Thank you! I don't mind that my children are dying." There are some things that are very basic, but if you could tell me how I could spend money and create democracy, I would gladly fund that too.

The idea of how you make that happen in a very poor country, that's an unsolved problem and we should wish that somebody comes along with a solution. I'll be the first to make sure they have tonnes of resources to pursue it....

Audience: As a young businessman, I've been inspired by the success of Microsoft and yourself. I just wanted to know who inspired you and why?

BG:I think there has been some great scientists and some great businessmen. Reading their biographies or autobiographies makes you want to strive to do things very well.

The person I've learned the most from, outside of my family? I'd pick two people. Steve Ballmer. In terms of creating the business and how we organise it, it has been an incredible business partnership. He's been chief executive officer (CEO) since the year 2000, but even before than he and I really ran the thing together.

The other is my best friend Warren Buffett, even though he's not in the technical business (he doesn't use a PC except to play bridge online!). Him, in terms of values and integrity and positive energy, the approach he has and the simple way he can take very complex issues like the financial markets and really cut to the heart of what really counts in these things. He's been amazing and I've learned a phenomenal amount from him.

The list would be very long but he'd be right there at the top.

IoD: And is there one piece of advice for entrepreneurs on the way up?

BG:I didn't think of Microsoft being a super valuable business. I worked on software because it was fun to work on software and I thought people can see that software can do these things so let's work on that. We never thought we'd have a big business with all these employees...

If you're engaged and you enjoy it, you're more likely to do world-class work than if you're just saying "Ok that's got a good wage rate..." For an entrepreneur, picking something you're passionate about is by far the most important thing.

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