More on My Dinner with #1 on the Forbes

This is my story of eating dinner with Bill Gates.  But after you've read, don't stop here.  Go to www.jeffmaurone.com to read the story of what I'm doing now.

So, in response to the multitude of email messages I got asking for more juicy details on what it's like to eat dinner with Bill Gates, I figured I should write the comprehensive posting about said topic.  So, without further deliberation, I've broken down my account into a few sections: The Experience, The House, The Man, and The Coolest Part.  Here goes...

The Experience

Obviously it goes without saying that it's a pretty big deal to be eating with Bill Gates at his house.  So much so that most full-time employees don't get this opportunity until you reach a level that is at least pushing general management.  Most people talk about the fact that we, as interns, need to live it up now because such oportunities fade as quickly as the "t-" fades from your alias ("t-" is the intern portion of your email address, so interns have an email address that is something like t-jsmith@microsoft.com; full-timers have no dashes).  Along with everything that is as hallowed comes security.

We all met at various locations on the Redmond campus and boarded coach buses after being identified against our badges.  The buses then proceeded through Seattle's eastside to an undisclosed location in close proximity to Bill's home.  We then left the buses and were subject to airport-level security.  This included shoe-removal, metal detectors, random screenings, etc.  After being subject to this, we all transferred to smaller shuttles and proceeded into the unknown.

Security at the home was no doubt as high, yet remained pleasantly non-intrusive.  Inconspicuously placed at walkways was a casually dressed security team member wearing the secret service model of earpiece and silently saying, "nope, this way is off limits."  Also scattered among the non-guest crowd was the Gates family staff: excessively smiling, polo shirt wearing, people with small gold badges that read, "Estate Staff".  But now that I've described the periphery experience, onto the cool stuff...

The House

There is only one way that I can describe the home: utter perfection.  As someone that is considerably interested in architecture, interior design, landscape, etc, I can't name any one piece of the home that stood out as incredible, because all facets were equally perfect.  We entered the home via what seemed to be the entertainment entrance and, at that, it was quite understated.  The entrance organically rose from the hill in distinct pacific northwest style and was elegantly adorned by perfectly oriented halogen lighting that just screamed, "experience like no other."  Interestingly enough however, this entrance was at the top of the hill into which the home is built and so it truly was just a small portal rising from the ground.

Once into the home you are greeted by a magnificient grand staircase that, in stark comparison to nearly all notable estates, descended for quite a distance.  Initially you find an elevator driven only by a single hydraulic column and completely cableless.  Are you beginning to feel like you are in Myst (the video game), because I was.

Further and further you descend, past what seems to be an annex library, as it was certainly not the primary librarian that houses the Leicester Codex (Bill's original DaVinci notebook, for which he paid approx $30.8 million).  Elegantly non-intrusive but screaming geekhood were sparsely placed digital canvases that, ever so often, changed the artwork on the wall.  We passed the movie theatre, rumored to be the most advanced movie theatre in the world.  Finally, we reached the bottom level of the entertaining portion of the home.  To the left was a room with a design so powerful that it could only exist in the home of the richest man in the world.

I left the home only to be greeted by a backyard adorned by cocktail tables and a catering staff dressed to match the adornment of the tables as well as a man-made sandy beach descending into Lake Washington.  On a final note, I'll say that the grass was groomed.  It was groomed in a way that requires handheld scissors to prune daily.  Now, I should also mention that the home is really an organic growth; one cannot see where one building ends and another begins and that there are distinct divisions between sections of the home.  We never saw the room where Bill comes home and leisurely hangs his hat.

The Man

About twenty minutes into the event Bill casually descended the stairs from the personal side of the home: no fanfare, no introduction, just the Chief Software Architect.  Instantly there started a massive migration from around the lawn to within four feet of Bill.  In ten minutes there was a donut or toroid of geekdom surrounding Bill that was three or four people deep, but after a few minutes I had worked my way to the front and got to spend about two hours standing with him, talking to him, and mostly listening to his responses to other people's questions.

If Bill is one thing, he's deeply passionate about what he believes to be the nearly endless power of software.  I personally asked him about his opinion of Nicholas Carr's prediction surrounding the commoditization of information technology.  His response (verbatim, might I add), "well it was the dumbest thing I've ever read!"  Now, one could argue, being that he owns 24% of MSFT stock, that Bill can't possibly answer that question in any other way.  This is, of course, true.

Many questions surrounded globalization and the Microsoft strategy to enter the world's emerging markets.  Others surrounded how long he works each week (55-60 hours at Microsoft, 10-15 hours at the foundation).  Many asked about how he intends to change the world with the foundation.  Now as passionate as were Bill's answers to some questions, strange was his answers to others.  "Bill, what are your hobbies?"  "Medicine and bio-tech."  Ok.  We all have intellectually stimulating pastimes but am I wrong in saying that most of us don't come home from work and fiddle around with medicine and bio-tech.  Maybe I'm the one in the dark.

So that's my story.  I took a lot of the experience for granted because I knew it was coming but other times I have to step back and realize how fortune I was to have an opportunity to do something that, on a global scale, only the slimmest group of people do.

I hope you enjoyed what is probably my longest post.

As mentioned, there is much more interesting content about what I'm doing now at www.jeffmaurone.com.

Comments

[jon]

Pretty cool, man. Nice first person account of an encounter with one of the world's richest men...

[alq]

Indeed what an hagiographic piece. Well I suppose it takes a certain amount of courage to step up to the richest man on earth and ask a bit more provocative questions.

[Alex]

He's not a damn god he's just a dirty businessman. You speak of him like you were meeting Jesus Christ. He's not even a particularly good programmer.

You should even look at the crap Microsoft spews out and tries to pass as software. Pure dross!

[Ed Bennett]

Oh come on Alex...

Bill doesn't write every piece of code that comes out of Microsoft.

People here are talking about him as if he's one of the richest and most influential men on the planet.

[James Ly]

I've seen a few blueprints of his 'future' home and I'm glad that there is something to it.

(Don't take /.'ers too seriously.)

[Rob]

I found this comic about Steve Jobs's "dinner with Bill Gates" to be very hilarious!

http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/575.html

:-)

[A Different Rob]

I interned out there two summers a couple years ago and got a similar experience. Security wasn't as tight as you describe here (no obvious metal detectors or shoe removal), but I did see one person get escorted off the premesis by security. My friend's mentor had been invited, but he couldn't make it, so her came instead. Since he wasn't on the list though, he had to leave.

Gate's wife, and one of his kids came down the first time I was at the party and played on the little beach there, so I also got to witness "Gates the Human". As I recall, he also had some ketchup on his shorts, when he came down out of the house. Seeing that made me wonder if it was planned. ;)

[Weekend on Tatoosh?]

One time in band camp, I met Paul Allen's sister? And like, she said I could, you know, go water skiing with her on her brother's boat?
So, I'm like, sure. Does it have a name?
Tatoosh she said, And, and, and...

[raff]

I would have worn my favorite t-shirt (not sure if links are enabled) www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/sysadmin/

Guess which one it is ;)

[Jennifer]

I had the same experience in 2002. The best part was the free beer that was available to everyone - although being 20, I had to rely on a friend grabbing some for me ;)

Long live "dash trash"!

[Disgusted]

what a fawning load of horseshit.

[jhkjhjk]

it's "fortunate", not "fortune".

[Tris Orendorff]

What! No pictures? Don't give me no security bull either. I'm disappointed.

[me]

more, more, more! i want more!

[Claw]

Tris Orendorff wrote:
> What! No pictures? Don't give me no security
> bull either. I'm disappointed.

They don't allow cameras in. When I interned back in 2002, another intern managed to sneak a camera in (he found out where the security checkpoint was and hid a camera there the night before). He was pretty stupid about it though and snapped a picture right in front of Bill. He was subsequently tackled by security and taken away. Haven't heard what happened to him afterwards though...

[Svenn]

If i went i would just be kicked out for using the L word.

[Josh]

Had the same experience last year, and the whole thing really is pretty overwhelming. My favorite part was when a buddy of mine asked Bill "Ninjas or Pirates." Needless to say, Bill had no idea how to respond, and after looking around blankly for a second said "Ninjas," which of course was the obvious answer.

[Daniel 'Lufa the wonder sponge']

that's pretty neat. I don't like microsft software extremely well, but when it's working properly it is great. You have to remember that those rich people who are on top are people too, and that they have families and friends and such. That is really cool.

[Ed]

If this software business fails to pan out, consider a career in hagiography.

[mark]

vivid description...I'm surprised we haven't heard this sort of narrative before. loved the band-aid image on his daughter's finger--brought Bill right down to earth.

[Doug L.]

Cool story. One question: You wrote: "To the left was a room with a design so powerful that it could only exist in the home of the richest man in the world.". This intrigues me -- do you recall any details of what led to that statement, or was it *so* powerful that it left mental hooks that made you forget the elements of that design?

[Ben Dummett]

And we still don't know what type of computer(s) that Bill uses. Care to enlighten us Jeff?

[Dale]

Bill continues to be a workaholic, after all these years. I'm surprised he doesn't shift more work time to family affairs, but who am I to judge another man's life. He hasn't achieved his level of success by being afraid of work.

He'd still be an impressive individual without his wealth and opulent residence.

[James]

What did you guys have to eat?

[YOMI]

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