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Bill Gates Speaks
"Our slogan from the very beginning was 'a computer on every desk and in every home.'"
"For me to become gun-shy might require surgery."
An icon more powerful than anything on a Windows screen, Bill Gates today stands atop his fabled Microsoft fortress staring down competitors' threats and injunctions from an annoyed U.S. Justice Department. The kind of success Gates has created rarely escapes criticism. And Bill is getting more than his share.
The story of how this Harvard dropout created the operating system that would become the worldwide standard for millions of computers is legendary. And equally legendary has been the take-no-prisoners tactics of his corporate colossus, Microsoft. We've witnessed Gates's transformation from a geeky wunderkind into a business titan.
Whether admired or detested, glorified or vilified, Gates is a household name and a worldwide curiosity. Bill Gates Speaks discloses what Bill Gates has to say on everything from financing a start-up to running a conglomerate, developing technology to raising a family, and growing his business to expanding his personal wealth. Drawing on quotes culled from speeches, articles, essays, newscasts, and interviews, this unique book weaves all of this information into a compelling and easy-to-read biography.
Here is just a sample of what you'll find
* "My parents weren't all that excited about their son announcing he was dropping out of a fine university to start a business in something almost nobody had heard of called 'microcomputers.'"
* "I think business is very simple. Profit. Loss. Take the sales, subtract the costs, you get this big positive number. The math is quite straightforward."
* "I envy people who thrive on three or four hours of sleep a night. They have so much more time to work, learn, and play."
* "We never waste a lot of time talking about what we're doing well. It just isn't our culture. Every meeting is about 'Sure, we won in seven of the categories, but what about that eighth category?'"
* "The PC industry is the model industry in the entire economy. The rate of innovation, the openness-all of these things are just fantastic. And Microsoft's role in creating this has been absolutely fundamental."
The world listens when Bill gates speaks
"I'm not competent to judge his technical ability, but I regard his business savvy as extraordinary.
If Bill had started a hot dog stand, he would have become the hot dog king of the world." -Warren Buffett
"It is still possible to be a Vanderbilt, an Astor, a Rockefeller. You can still do that, you can be Bill Gates." -David Geffen
"Everybody is waiting for this guy to slip. He hasn't slipped, and there's very little chance that he will. Everything that he keeps his hands in will work, and he will win." -Alan Kerr, Ogilvy & Mather
"Love him or hate him, but you can't ignore him." -Fortune
"For me to become gun-shy might require surgery."
An icon more powerful than anything on a Windows screen, Bill Gates today stands atop his fabled Microsoft fortress staring down competitors' threats and injunctions from an annoyed U.S. Justice Department. The kind of success Gates has created rarely escapes criticism. And Bill is getting more than his share.
The story of how this Harvard dropout created the operating system that would become the worldwide standard for millions of computers is legendary. And equally legendary has been the take-no-prisoners tactics of his corporate colossus, Microsoft. We've witnessed Gates's transformation from a geeky wunderkind into a business titan.
Whether admired or detested, glorified or vilified, Gates is a household name and a worldwide curiosity. Bill Gates Speaks discloses what Bill Gates has to say on everything from financing a start-up to running a conglomerate, developing technology to raising a family, and growing his business to expanding his personal wealth. Drawing on quotes culled from speeches, articles, essays, newscasts, and interviews, this unique book weaves all of this information into a compelling and easy-to-read biography.
Here is just a sample of what you'll find
* "My parents weren't all that excited about their son announcing he was dropping out of a fine university to start a business in something almost nobody had heard of called 'microcomputers.'"
* "I think business is very simple. Profit. Loss. Take the sales, subtract the costs, you get this big positive number. The math is quite straightforward."
* "I envy people who thrive on three or four hours of sleep a night. They have so much more time to work, learn, and play."
* "We never waste a lot of time talking about what we're doing well. It just isn't our culture. Every meeting is about 'Sure, we won in seven of the categories, but what about that eighth category?'"
* "The PC industry is the model industry in the entire economy. The rate of innovation, the openness-all of these things are just fantastic. And Microsoft's role in creating this has been absolutely fundamental."
The world listens when Bill gates speaks
"I'm not competent to judge his technical ability, but I regard his business savvy as extraordinary.
If Bill had started a hot dog stand, he would have become the hot dog king of the world." -Warren Buffett
"It is still possible to be a Vanderbilt, an Astor, a Rockefeller. You can still do that, you can be Bill Gates." -David Geffen
"Everybody is waiting for this guy to slip. He hasn't slipped, and there's very little chance that he will. Everything that he keeps his hands in will work, and he will win." -Alan Kerr, Ogilvy & Mather
"Love him or hate him, but you can't ignore him." -Fortune
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
16 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Janet Lowe
47 books40 followersJanet Celesta Lowe was an American journalist, newspaper editor, and writer.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 6, 2017
Interesting book on Gates and Microsoft, effectively a collection of quotes. Growing up, my parents always encouraged us to read a lot and think for ourselves. They included us in discussions on everything from books to politics. In the summer, we'd go up to Hood Canal where our family and several other families who gathered there every year would play a lot of competitive games. It was always a great time, and it gave us a sense that we could compete and succeed. Maintaining focus is a key to success. You should understand your circle of competence, the thing that you're good at, and spend your time and energy there. The entrepreneurial mindset continues to thrive at Microsoft because one of our major goals is to reinvent ourselves - we have to make sure that we are the ones replacing our products instead of someone else (keep finding new ideas). A revenue generating franchise is the most fragile thing in the world. No matter how good your product, you are only 18 months away from failure (markets are dynamic, don't be complacent). My admiration for people who write books has increased now that I've done one myself. Writing a non-fiction book forces you to really think issues through in a disciplined way. It challenges you to order your thoughts. You find hidden gaps and inconsistencies, which prompts still more thought. I don't waste much time ruing the past. I made my decision, and the way to do it best is, once you make it, you just don't waver at all. You don't think, gosh, what a doctor I would've been, what a tennis player, poker player I could've been. Being hardcore and forward looking about what you do is a necessary element of doing it well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2020
Quyển sách không mấy hấp dẫn về lối trình bày (ít ra là ở bản dịch tiếng Việt này vì chưa thể tìm ra bản tiếng Anh). Nó là một kiểu diễn đạt tổng hợp ngắn gọn các sự kiện quan trọng và quan điểm trọng tâm của Bill, và quá trình thành lập và trưởng thành vắn tắt của Microsoft. Không có nhiều giai thoại ly kì hay câu chuyện hậu trường hấp dẫn. Nếu không phải vì mình đã xem xong series Inside Bill's Brain của Netflix mình sẽ chẳng thể hình dung nhiều thứ bởi vì chúng được mô tả theo một cách vô cùng chóng vánh.
Tuy nhiên lượng thông tin sách truyền đạt thì vẫn rất thú vị. Từ tầm nhìn đáng kinh ngạc của Bill về một tương lai của thế giới với sự phổ biến của máy tính và internet đến căn nhà hiện đại từ hơn hai thập kỷ trước được Bill xây dựng để thực nghiệm những gì ông sẽ biến thành sự thật trong tương lai. Bill Gates chính là vị thần đã khai sáng cả thế giới này bằng bộ óc vĩ đại và năng lực làm việc thần sầu.
Khả năng thiên phú của Bill trong chiến lược kinh doanh cũng thú vị vô cùng. Không thể ngờ rằng sau bộ dạng nerdy đó là một bộ óc sắc sảo nhạy bén với thị trường đến vậy. Sự nghiệp quá thành công ở độ tuổi quá trẻ đã tạo cho Bill bao nhiêu kẻ thù bao gồm toàn những gương mặt quyền lực nhất và ông đã phải đối mặt với những chỉ trích thậm tệ và rớt vào một quãng thời gian tăm tối. Thế nhưng đó cũng chính là môt bước chuẩn bị tinh thần cần thiết cho ông vì người xuất chúng luôn phải đối mặt với những khó khăn mang tầm vóc tương ứng. Cho đến bây giờ ông vẫn là tâm điểm miếng mồi ngon cho những kẻ chuyên trị thêu dệt những thuyết âm mưu.
Bill Gates không phải người bình thường. Nhưng mỗi thông tin ta biết về ông lại nâng mức phi thường ấy lên một tầm cao mới. Tất cả những gì chúng ta đang thừa hưởng đây trong xã hội kĩ thuật số này đều xuất phát từ di sản của William Henry Gates III.
Tuy nhiên lượng thông tin sách truyền đạt thì vẫn rất thú vị. Từ tầm nhìn đáng kinh ngạc của Bill về một tương lai của thế giới với sự phổ biến của máy tính và internet đến căn nhà hiện đại từ hơn hai thập kỷ trước được Bill xây dựng để thực nghiệm những gì ông sẽ biến thành sự thật trong tương lai. Bill Gates chính là vị thần đã khai sáng cả thế giới này bằng bộ óc vĩ đại và năng lực làm việc thần sầu.
Khả năng thiên phú của Bill trong chiến lược kinh doanh cũng thú vị vô cùng. Không thể ngờ rằng sau bộ dạng nerdy đó là một bộ óc sắc sảo nhạy bén với thị trường đến vậy. Sự nghiệp quá thành công ở độ tuổi quá trẻ đã tạo cho Bill bao nhiêu kẻ thù bao gồm toàn những gương mặt quyền lực nhất và ông đã phải đối mặt với những chỉ trích thậm tệ và rớt vào một quãng thời gian tăm tối. Thế nhưng đó cũng chính là môt bước chuẩn bị tinh thần cần thiết cho ông vì người xuất chúng luôn phải đối mặt với những khó khăn mang tầm vóc tương ứng. Cho đến bây giờ ông vẫn là tâm điểm miếng mồi ngon cho những kẻ chuyên trị thêu dệt những thuyết âm mưu.
Bill Gates không phải người bình thường. Nhưng mỗi thông tin ta biết về ông lại nâng mức phi thường ấy lên một tầm cao mới. Tất cả những gì chúng ta đang thừa hưởng đây trong xã hội kĩ thuật số này đều xuất phát từ di sản của William Henry Gates III.
August 6, 2018
Started reading this book yesterday (August 5, 2018), finished it today. WOW! this is a fascinating work, particularly since most of the data are Bill Gates' own words. I admit I am an "Intellectual Snob," but this book blew me away. The knowledge and personality of this one man is astounding. I say: BILL GATES FOR PRESIDENT and let's get some intelligence in the White House, by electing someone who knows how to solve [our] problems!
January 4, 2019
La traducción es malísima o el original está mal escrito. En cualquier caso está lleno de anécdotas sobre la historia de Microsoft lo que me entretuvo un montón
October 25, 2013
A title I read for a high school project, I picked this one personally as I thought Bill would be an interesting read, it was the 2nd biography I've ever read that I actually enjoyed, so the project ended up being informative as well as enjoyable. (which I found with school to be a rare treat)
October 24, 2016
An always-ready-for-battle entrepreneur with contradictory personalities and perspectives. This genius knows how to eliminate all competitors, survive and win in the game. Love or hate him, you have to respect him.
November 21, 2009
good book
Read
December 3, 2009ud
July 7, 2010
This was an ok book. I learned a lot about Bill Gates that I didn't know but it seemed to jump around a lot to me. I would say and average book.
January 12, 2015
The book is the same as its name, "gates speaks". I would have expected more author's analyses rather than a collection of Gates' talks.
April 27, 2017
Un excelente libro donde uno se da cuenta por que Gates es uno de los mejores líderes tecnológicos y del mundo. Te admiro Bill.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews