Bill Gates: Six Months After
Bill Gates has not been actively involved with Microsoft, the company that he founded with Paul Allen back in 1975, for half a year now. For the past six months he has been busy with the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” and found it to be very appealing – or so he says in the 2009 Annual Letter, the first in what will probably be a long list of reports basically detailing his activities with the Gates Foundation. Melinda Gates as well plans to follow in her husband’s footsteps and will share her opinions with the world this autumn, just that she will do so in video format, not in a letter.
Please note that Bill Gates’ letter and Melinda Gates’ video should not to be confused with the foundation’s annual reports. These date back to 1998, will continue to be made available to the general public an interested parties at this location, and present detailed, comprehensive, and timely info on the Gates Foundation’s grants and finances.
“Many of my friends were concerned that I wouldn’t find the foundation work as engaging or rewarding as my work at Microsoft. I loved my work at Microsoft and it had been my primary focus for over 30 years. I love the work at the foundation. Although there are many differences, it also has the three magical elements. First there are opportunities for big breakthroughs—from discovering new vaccines that can save millions of lives to developing new seeds that will let a farming family have better productivity, improve their children’s nutrition, and sell some of the extra output. Second, I feel like my experience in building teams of smart people with different skill sets focused on tough long-term problems can be a real contribution. Finally, I find the intelligence and dedication of the people involved in these issues to be just as impressive as what I have seen before,” says Bill Gates about his involvement with the Gates Foundation.
If you would like to read Bill Gates’ first annual letter, you can do so here. If you would like to download and save it, it is available in PDF format here.
Please note that Bill Gates’ letter and Melinda Gates’ video should not to be confused with the foundation’s annual reports. These date back to 1998, will continue to be made available to the general public an interested parties at this location, and present detailed, comprehensive, and timely info on the Gates Foundation’s grants and finances.
“Many of my friends were concerned that I wouldn’t find the foundation work as engaging or rewarding as my work at Microsoft. I loved my work at Microsoft and it had been my primary focus for over 30 years. I love the work at the foundation. Although there are many differences, it also has the three magical elements. First there are opportunities for big breakthroughs—from discovering new vaccines that can save millions of lives to developing new seeds that will let a farming family have better productivity, improve their children’s nutrition, and sell some of the extra output. Second, I feel like my experience in building teams of smart people with different skill sets focused on tough long-term problems can be a real contribution. Finally, I find the intelligence and dedication of the people involved in these issues to be just as impressive as what I have seen before,” says Bill Gates about his involvement with the Gates Foundation.
If you would like to read Bill Gates’ first annual letter, you can do so here. If you would like to download and save it, it is available in PDF format here.
