The World's Richest Got Poorer By Forbes

Forbes just released the world's richest for the year 2009, and the big announcement is that they all got poorer (woohoo big surprise!) - only about 4% got richer over the period. A whopping third of them just bowed out of the list while 83% decreased in wealth.

If we're suffering so should they right? Nevertheless, as a result of the financial meltdown we've got two trillion floating around somewhere.

Okay as an overview Bill Gates and Warren Buffett swapped places. Warren used to be number one, but well he's not anymore - Bill Gates owns that spot now. Maybe the stint on tv helped him out a bit.

Mark Zuckerberg, once dubbed as one of the youngest billionaires in the world fell off that pedestal after losing big - approximately $600 million, he must have sunk a lot of investments

For more details, check out the source at Forbes.com

Why start bgC3? Bill Gates' New Company

Bill Gates officially retired from Microsoft mid-year 2008, but then jumped ahead to build another one - bgC3 a.k.a. "Bill Gates Catalyst 3", earlier named Carillon Holdings. BgC3 is supposedly described as a "think tank," which includes "scientific and technological services", "industrial analysis and research", and "design and development of computer hardware and software". Others say it's a way of coordinating Gates's business and philanthropic work.


I think Bill Gates wants to focus on less grind work and more broad strokes, Nobel-worthy activity. I've met CEOs who dream of just thinking about what the company could be or could be doing in the next 3-5 or even 10 years without having to worry about the limitations of now, or the current problems (Vista) faced by the company's current image and processes.


No doubt, he wants to be free from actually worrying about how Microsoft runs while still being able to contribute to its success. It's always nice to be in the planning stage and not have to worry about the details. I guess that's the privilege of being a retired CEO

The Separation Of Bill Gates And Microsoft

After 30 years, it looks like the end has come for Bill Gates and Microsoft. The end not being a termination of course of either but instead a change in relationship. Bill Gates is finally stepping down and is now just going to work part-time. Taking it easy I guess. Must be the stress.

Everybody thinks Gates is some genius. The college drop-out who was once the richest man in the world with one of the most innovative companies around.

I do agree that Bill Gates is sort of a legend now. It's good I guess that he's stepping down. Sort of sounds like the end of an era so to speak for the tech world. It would be a shame if he were to go down in flames, beaten bad by Google. So this is the smart approach to bow down in grace while still retaining the image that you're still at the top of your game.

Bill Gates was interviewed by CNet on what might it be like for him After Microsoft and what his thoughts were on the future of technology and Microsoft as a company. He also talks about the failed Yahoo buy-out. Apparently Microsoft already has a stand-alone strategy of its own. Probably as a Plan B, should the acquisition fail - which it did. But anyway, their goal is probably just the same as all the other companies. How do we grow? How do we scale?

Read the complete CNet interview here.

Bill Gates Does Touch Wall Demo For CEO's

I guess it is always more effective when the CEO of one company speaks to others like him, rather than the typical sales person. Bill Gates pulled off the Touch Wall demo with the precision of the Microsoft giant that he is. Although haunted by news that he is to be soon-to-be-retired chairman - being a has-been does not seem to be affecting Mr. Bill Gates.

His demo of Touch Wall was pretty good. In fairness though, the product is amazing. An offshoot of Microsoft Surface, Touch Wall includes special software plus "some scanning cameras down here at the bottom, so whenever I go up to it and say just touch it, the software will notice that, theoretically," Bill Gates said so himself.

He also spoke about another related product in Beta News:

"I've also shown here the RoundTable, which is the videoconferencing thing that takes the entire view, the 360-degree view of everybody in the room by using multiple cameras, and creates that teleconferencing interaction that's far, far better. That's a new type of interaction," continued Gates.

Now emerging on the horizon, he said, are "little thin, tablet-like computers that have both the pen capability and that finger touch...and you'll be able to switch back and forth between those."

Gates told the CEOs he ultimately foresees vertical and horizontal natural interfaces of various sizes appearing almost everywhere.

"This idea that you just sit there and interact, touch, you don't have to learn anything, that naturalness really draws people in. So, it's been a strong success so far, and that form factor is going to get cheaper and smaller," predicted Microsoft's chairman.

No wonder he's the genius behind Microsoft - how else do you sell something that would be this expensive? I mean come on who else could possible afford it. I certainly wouldn't but my CEO, yes he will. Now that's marketing to a target audience.