Tag Archives: Bill Gates

News, Politics, Government

The Giving Pledge Goes Global — Warren Buffett Details America's Latest 'Export'

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By Randall Lane, Forbes Staff

Ever since Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates formed the Giving Pledge in 2010, enlisting American billionaires to commit at least half of their wealth to charity, one question has hovered: why did the founders focus solely on domestic fortunes? The reason, Buffett now tells Forbes: “I felt we had our hands full in the U.S.” That changes later today when the Gates Foundation will announce that the Giving Pledge has expanded its reach globally, starting with 12 non-U.S. signatories from 8 different countries, from the U.K.’s Richard Branson to Thailand’s Vincent Tan. These new “Pledgers” will swell the group’s total to 105. Buffett credits Bill Gates for the international expansion, likening his frequent globetrotting to a “trade mission”  which has now accelerated the global philanthropic half-life “by a generation.” …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

News, Politics, Government

Bill Gates And Carlos Slim To Partner On Reducing Hunger

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By Dolia Estevez, Contributor

On the eve of his visit to Mexico this week,  billionaire Bill Gates compared Mexican telecommunication tycoon  Carlos Slim Helu  (the world’s richest  man) to fellow American billionaire William Buffet.  “Carlos is a very interesting guy… He reminds me a little of Warren Buffett in his ability to find undervalued investment opportunities. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent with him, getting to hear his thoughts on business trends and the future of Latin America. His father immigrated to Mexico from Lebanon,” Gates wrote on his website thegatesnotes. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

Computers

Bill Gates offers candid answers during Reddit's ask-me-anything-session

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Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates let it all hang out on Monday answering questions during an ask-me-anything session on Reddit. Gates wanted questions to focus on his work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to improving healthcare and reducing poverty around the world. This being Reddit and the favorite hangout of many geeks, however, there were several questions that touched on technology and the personalities surrounding the industry. Gates answered questions about his views on Windows 8, Steve Jobs, Bing, the Surface Pro, massive computer displays, and the possible reemergence of WinFS.

The new OS

Windows 8 “is a huge advance for Windows, which people will see even more as the great applications and hardware come out,” Gates said. Since its introduction in October, Microsoft’s newest operating system has taken a critical beating and it’s not clear yet whether Windows 8 is a hit or flop with users. The company in January said it had sold 60 million Windows 8 licenses, but there are reports of slow adoption, high returns for new Surface RT devices and a lull in developer enthusiasm for creating Windows 8 touch apps.

[RELATED: How’s Windows 8 doing? Microsoft reflects, 90 days in ]

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

News, Politics, Government

Bill Gates Answers Almost Everything In Reddit AMA

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By Kelly Clay, Contributor

Had a question for Bill Gates? Today at precisely 10:45 PST, Microsoft’s co-founder began answering questions on Reddit submitted by other Reddit users. And while many other AMA participants typically only answer a handful of questions, Gates was extremely engaged, responding to responses of his answers, clarifying his opinion on everything from charity to what is favorite book is. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

Video Gaming

Why Microsoft's Acquisition of SEGA Fell Through

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Microsoft’s long-rumoured plan to acquire SEGA never came to pass because Bill Gates was sceptical the company had “enough muscle” to stop Sony, according to the company’s former VP of Windows Sales.

Joachim Kempin, who worked at Microsoft between 1983 and 2003, made the claim in an interview with IGN due to go live later today. He explained that the acquisition of SEGA was originally floated as an easy way for Microsoft to enter the console space and stop Sony, especially given the huge financial losses associated with in-house hardware manufacturing.

“There were three companies at that point in time, I think this was

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games

Computers

What the Microsoft-Dell union means in the 'post-PC' era

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Dell is in the process of buying back its shares to become a privately held company once again. Microsoft helped facilitate Dell’s $24.4 billion deal, with a $2 billion investment that makes the two tech giants partners of sorts. This is either the last gasp of desperation for PCs as we know it, or a sign that Dell and Microsoft still have innovative tricks up their proverbial sleeves.

We’ve been hearing for years about the “post-PC” era. Bill Gates originally coined the term in 1999 in an op-ed for Newsweek. Since Gates first declared the beginning of the “post-PC” era, PC sales have tripled.

However, Gates had the right idea—he was just ahead of his time. Apple’s launch of the iPad and the subsequent tablet revolution has brought the term “post-PC” back in vogue. Tablet sales are brisk, and PC sales are dwindling.

At face value, the “post-PC” trend doesn’t bode well for either Dell or Microsoft. Despite CEO Michael Dell’s claim that Dell is “not really a PC company“, the fact remains that Dell and PCs are synonymous in the eyes of most businesses and consumers. Plus, the operating system predominantly associated with PCs is Microsoft Windows.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Bill Gates: 'Steve Jobs was always cooler than me'

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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has admitted that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was “always cooler” than him.

During an interview on US political comedy show The Colbert Report, presenter Steven Colbert said to Gates: “People say “what a cool guy, what a cool guy Steve Jobs was.” You are out there saving the world and yet, you don’t have the cool factor, no offense, not the same turtleneck cool factor.”

“As a man who has contributed a great deal, does it ever bug you that you are out there saving the world and yet he has the memories a cool guy?” Colbert asked.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

News, Politics, Government

South African Billionaire Patrice Motsepe Joins Giving Pledge

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By Mfonobong Nsehe, Contributor South African billionaire and mining tycoon Patrice Motsepe has joined Bill Gates‘ and Warren Buffett’s Giving Pledge by announcing that he will give away half the income generated from assets owned by his family to the Motsepe Family Foundation.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

News, Politics, Government

Bill Gates Says There Is Something Perverse In College Ratings

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By Luisa Kroll, Forbes Staff There is a perverse metric rating system for U.S. colleges, says Bill Gates, the world’s most generous and influential philanthropist. The problem is that it gives credit to schools that attract the best students rather than schools that take poorly prepared students and help them get ready for the next stage.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

News, Politics, Government

9 Tips For College Freshmen Starting Up Their Own Business

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By Deborah Sweeney, Contributor At this point, I think we can all name at least one business that skyrocketed to success and was launched out of a dormitory or while the founder was still in college. There’s the infamous tale of FedEx’s beginnings when founder Frederick W. Smith wrote a term paper at Yale University detailing  how the shipping industry would change due to changing informational needs and advances in technology – a paper that was hardly warmly received by the professor. Inogen, a mobile medical device company founded by former University of CA, Santa Barbara student Allison Perry who recruited two of her classmates, Brenton Taylor and Byron Myers, to join her team. And of course, Sean Fanning, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates who all equally revolutionized technology with their businesses Napster, Facebook, and Microsoft.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

News, Politics, Government

Three Ways Entrepreneurship Is Changing for the Better

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By Dorie Clark, Contributor The sluggish economy has prompted many to consider starting their own businesses. But too often, people are still held back by myths about who’s cut out to be an entrepreneur, says Candida Brush, Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division at Babson College and Director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship. “If you pick up almost any magazine, the hero is usually a white male figure: you’re either born Bill Gates or you’re not, and that’s off-putting” to many would-be entrepreneurs. But entrepreneurship can be learned by anyone, she says, and people need to recognize that “you don’t have to do it all by yourself.” Just as Bill Gates had Paul Allen, “Businesses are more successful when they’re started by teams of two or three people. Five people is too many, and one is not enough.”
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

News, Politics, Government

Germany, Gates in $108M anti-hunger drive

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The German government says it is collaborating with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and businesses to invest some €80 million ($108 million) in projects to help alleviate hunger.

Development Minister Dirk Niebel met Tuesday with Bill Gates and German business representatives. Niebel’s ministry said Germany plans to invest €20 million, with the same amount coming from the Gates Foundation and roughly €40 million from businesses.

The ministry said it couldn’t give a specific timeframe for the period over which the investment will be spread, and some projects already are under way.

Projects include a drive to improve rice production in southeast Asia, and to make cashew nut production in west Africa more efficient. Companies involved include Bayer AG’s crop science unit and chemical maker BASF SE.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

News, Politics, Government

30 Years Ago a Deeply Conflicted Steve Jobs Introduced the Apple Lisa. Soon He Had to Reinvent Himself. Here's How He Did It

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By Forbes Leadership Forum, Contributor This article is by Steven Snyder, the founder of Snyder Leadership Group, author of the forthcoming Leadership and the Art of Struggle, and an early leader at Microsoft, where he worked closely with Bill Gates.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

News, Politics, Government

European leaders headlining annual forum in Davos

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Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Mario Monti will headline next week’s annual gathering of world leaders and power brokers in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

The World Economic Forum said Wednesday that the three European leaders will focus on how to promote a global economic revival. Nearly 50 presidents and prime ministers, over 1,000 chairmen and CEOs of global companies are due to attend the event Jan. 23-27.

Others who are expected to attend include Microsoft founder Bill Gates, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

At a briefing from its headquarters overlooking Lake Geneva, the forum also made much of the fact that 450 women will be attending the invitation-only event, which has been held for more than four decades.

Klaus Schwab, the forum’s founder, called the forum “a lab for new ideas” to improve the world. Over the years, it has drawn together politicians, diplomats, thinkers, artists and celebrities for a whirlwind week of talks, as well as the odd party or two.

The civil war in Syria and other Middle East hotspots will also garner attention at this year’s event. Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hammadi Jebali and Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil, who came to power following the “Arab Spring” will be attending. Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who shared the stage last year, will be back again too.

Discussions over how to fund the fight against climate change, the risks to the economy emanating from corruption and digital misinformation, as well as a debate over mega-sports events are also penciled in for debate, organizers said.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Computers

CES reveals the four new rules of PC simplicity

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LAS VEGAS—Behold the PCs of CES 2013. They are simpler, smarter, easier to use, and more portable than their now ever-so-clunky predecessors. No mice or keyboards are required. Indeed, these are not your daddy’s computers. And let’s not even call them PCs. How about: Tablets, hybrids, all-in-ones, and even Table PCs.

Bottom line: Most PCs in Las Vegas this week make the hulking desktop PCs of yesteryear look like machines only Bill Gates could love.

A funny thing has happened to PCs over the last 10 years, and the trends are most obvious if you look at personal computing through the spectrum of CES. It’s been a slow, winding road, but PCs are finally beginning to achieve an almost appliance-like simplicity.

Microsoft deserves part of the credit, with its versatile Windows 8 OS, which runs on everything from traditional desktops to tablets to hybrid laptops. Sure, using the system itself presents a learning curve, but by unifying so many different types of devices under a single OS experience, Microsoft finds “learning efficiencies” in a multi-device ecosystem.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld