Power Lunch

by on March 20, 2006

Damn, never had a lunch like I just had before. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch talking with Bill Gates. Also at the lunch was Lynda Weinman, founder of Lynda.com and Albert Lai, founder of Bubbleshare.com. I asked Bill about when he was gonna give people at the edges of his company the ability to purchase fun companies like the ones Michael sees. He answered that there are some things that probably should always require approval. Actually he gave a good explanation of what he sees as good acquisitions and bad and why acquisitions need to apply to a strategic direction of a company and shouldn’t be done without executive oversight. Hey, it’s not often you get to ask Bill a question like that so thought I’d go for it. ;-)

At the end Michael, his eyes big from meeting Bill (they didn’t know ahead of time that Bill would be there) asked “so, do you have lunches with Bill like this a lot?”

Um, no. Most employees never get a chance like this.

Update: Albert Lai has more on the lunch on his blog and Michael Arrington has more on his.

  • Geez, yucky table setting for the world's richest man :-))
  • Zoli: he didn't get to eat much of his lunch. It sucks being a guy everyone wants to hear from. The food was OK, though.
  • Well, on second thought I wouldn't eat a whole lot if I got to have lunch with him :-)
  • I think the real question is: what did Bill have for lunch?
  • Geoff
    Probably a nice big Apple.

    AHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAA, not funny.
  • Bottom-line answer leave the acquisition strategy to me Robert. ;-)
  • Diego
    Oh god! The love for Microsoft from Mike Arrignton will flow even more freely now. :)

    Robert, did you say to Bill.... "Show me the money!!!" :)
  • Cool! Glad to hear Bill's getting a chance to mingle.

    I have some Web 2.0 criticisms for MS, but I would tell him his work with the Gates Foundation is nothing short of historically heroic.
  • Dmad
    the scary thing is that as a Microsoft employee you didn't know the answer to that question before asking it. Probably a good thing. Otherwise you'd probably end up having RSS in the next version of Flight Sim
  • Bubble 2.0 thrives. Scoble go and make some startup on the side and sell it to Micorosoft for 100 million bucks... these days everybody is doing it...
  • Robert,

    Thanks again for setting up the lunch.

    Bill looked like he was eating on a diet. Poor guy didn't have any time to eat.

    I also thought Bill did a great job of anwsering our questions, and was quite kind to sacrificed a great deal of our yummy lunch (a nice thick steak) in order to anwser our questions.

    I hope to put some photos up on bubbleshare shortly now that I have power going back to my laptop. =)
  • Dmad: who said I didn't know the answer before I asked it? I did. Part of changing the rules is knowing what the rules are and seeing if those who make the rules are willing to change them.
  • Part of...changing the...seeing if...the rules...

    I need a lie down.
  • Dave
    BillG. Lunch.

    And to continue what I was asking about Don B in your previous post...

    Where's the content? It really has been YEARS. This is not meant to sound antagonistic. Rather, it is a plea. A plea and a call to everyone you work with Robert. Since 2001 the best thing you've ALL come up with is Xbox.

    XP? Like any kind of enamel it has cavaties and the roots are rotting.

    SOAP? RSS? Surely even you understand that you are riding coattails of others outside of MS.

    UMPC? Well, if you really insist on going the route of acronyms.... OMFG, I am ROFLMAO.

    Okay. Okay. .NET. Now that was fantastic - really was. Until you refused to properly commit it to a properly-timed release of Longhorn... er, Vista.

    Speaking of Vista. It's now closing in on something like 7-8 months before the RTM of it, right? No details I see. That seems odd - I'm hoping it's not because you are releaqsing something that everyone else will conclude is really XP SP3 for XMAS. (Damn, I'm full of acronyms all of a sudden.)

    Okay. Seriously Robert. You've done your part for MS since 2003. Visibility. Transparency. And well, at this point it's a total washout IMO who has gained more.... you? MS?

    That said, if Vista doesn't capture - and I mean "capture" - everyone come the holidays.... I'd have to conclude that you have the short end of things.

    Even IF you post about having FOUR more lunches with Bill Gates between now and then.
  • Bill looks thin. I hope he gets some time to eat.
    How did you pick who to invite to lunch Robert? Or did someone else pick the people and let you play host?
  • Well

    I did not meet with Bill.
    I am celebrating my own little milestone this week. My blog 'Serge the Concierge' will be passing the 1 year mark on Wednesday.
    The 'baby' is healthy if not wealthy.

    Serge
    Biz:
    http://www.njconcierges.com
    Blog:
    http://sergetheconcierge.typepad.com
  • Christopher Coulter
    apply to a strategic direction of a company and shouldn’t be done without executive oversight.

    Ummm, duh. Default diplomatic nice-guy answer to a stupid question. He got royally served in the Cable TV froth, and continues to per most hardware projects, and will get baked in Xbox, but he's a dimwit if he even sniffs at anything Web 2.0. But he's not stupid. And don't let your ego go wild, he Power Lunches with thousands and thousands of people, just they don't blog it.
  • ben lormat
    "And don’t let your ego go wild, he Power Lunches with thousands and thousands of people, just they don’t blog it."

    Chris, too bad those thousands don't include you.
  • Christopher Coulter
    Oh getting arrogant now aren't we? I'd bet more than 85% of his own employees aren't included either, you think the rank and file get that opportunity? Notonyourlife. But then I'd wager big money, that I'd be better a conversation, than the pie-in-the-sky Web 2.0 bubble-making nutheads, and I certainly wouldn't ask the near trademarked 'Channel 9ish Scoble-stupid-questions'. But I can't see how one Power Lunch with even Gates could account for much beyond geek bragging rights, and that's never been my focus.
  • Amazing. Wish I could be there. Way to go.
  • Dmad
    @13 of all the possible questions you could have asked him, or could have "blogged" about, you chose that stupid one? You get a chance to lunch with a software icon and choose to ask him questions you supposedly know the answer to? Brilliant!!! I can hear Bill talking to Christine and Darryl now... "Who hired this guy? Doesn't he know how aquisitions in this company work?"
  • Lordy the vitriol. I'd love to have lunch with him but, judging by some of the comments above, would probably ask the "wrong" questions as well - like, where does he get his hair cut, has it taken a long time to get used to the idea that he could walk out and buy just about anything he liked, including all the free time he wants, does he paint, read, write, snorkel, t'ai chi, how come he still eats meat (so last century...), does he believe in God and is this the source of his philanthropy, why not make Windows Media Player uninstallable, why does a computer running windows lose the ability to sleep / hibernate / power down without a hitch after you've had it two weeks, and has he ever been to Tofino?
  • anon
    Bill Gates makes funny noises when he eats. He also shoves food in his mouth too quickly. Gross to watch.

    You probably didn't notice his eating, let alone his talking down to you because you were so starstruck. Sad, really.
  • Sir Topham Hat
    Too bad he didn't give you the scoop about Vista being postponed (again) until January!
  • khuselo
    I AM HAPPY TO FIND INFO THAT MR BILL DOES HAVE HUMOR I THOUGHT HE NEVER TALKS AT ALL WITH PEOPLE LIKE US .WELL IN MY OWN WORDS SEING MR GATES WILL BE AN OPPERTUNITY/A DREAM COME TRUE - HOPE -I WISH WE DO HAVE LUNCH TOGETHER I NEED HIS ADVISE AND HELP. I AM FROM SOUTH AFRICA- SOWETO-ORLANDO EAST.
  • khuselo
    I WOULD LIKE TO TRODUCE MYSELF = KHUSELO JACOB MSEZANE BORN ON THE 20TH OF OCTOBER 1980 -I NEED ADVICE TO CREATE A SOUTH AFRICAN MUSIC EMPIRE WITH ADVANCE SOFTWARES ,MY CO-PARTNERS ARE 6 MEMBERS AND OUR COMPANY IS CALLED MSHOSHA-PANTSI (HAMBLENESS) I PROPOSE FOR SPONSERSHIP PLEASE HELP US TO BUILD OUR EMPIRE - GIVE US A BREAK - INVITE US SO WE CAN TALK
    HOME ADDRESS- 356 ORLANDO EAST HLASWAYO STREET SOWETO JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA POSTEL CODE 1804 .
  • Jeremy Henriquez
    Dear Bill Gates:

    You've probably recieved many emails similar to the one im about to
    write to you,
    but i thought i'd try anyways.

    My name is Jeremy Henriquez. I live in Springfield,MA. I am a
    highschool senior and planning on attending college.

    I am a Seventh Day Adventist Christian and plan on attending Atlantic
    Union College at S.Lancaster, MA, which is a Seventh Day Adventist
    College.

    I am a good student and an athlete. I have a C average in highschool,
    and thats because I barely do my homework, cause I have to take care of
    my niece.

    I am 1 out of 7 children. Im in the middle and the first out of my
    family who plans to attend college.

    I am asking that If theres anyway that you can help me to finance my
    education through either scholarships, grant, or loans, that i'd be
    much grateful.

    Thank you for taking time to read my letter.

    Sincerely,
    Jeremy Henriquez
  • Baldi
    Good morning
    classified information to the receiver.

    I am Franco Baldi Italian inventor of the smallest Radar
    Patent U.S. 5.991.474, it tells… the driver the distance…
    of danger. I would like to personally communicate with
    Bill Gates for this World Big Business.

    How can I do for having the address personal e-mail, of
    the Bill Gates? Thanks of the information. Excusing me
    some trouble I thank for her attention.
    Best regards
    Franco Baldi ( The Inventor.)
    Info@radarbaldi.it
  • Ralph Leuchter
    Dear Sir,
    I am a Project Manager, building custom homes on Vancouver Island. I would like to integrate technologies that Mr. Gates built into his house on my future projects. I would like to ask Mr. Gates about what worked in his house and what improvements he would make to his systems. I would also like to work with his organization to prepare that technology for the every day user in an effort to access this technology in every home built. Would you be able to point me in the right direction to enable me to communicate with Mr. Gates or his contact people?
    Thank you
    Ralph Leuchter, PM.
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