Bill Gates: Behind Microsoft, Money, Malaria by Forbes Staff

Author:Forbes Staff [Staff, Forbes]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Forbes Media
Published: 2015-03-17T22:00:00+00:00

TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT

By Tim W. Ferguson and Neil Weinberg

July 1998

JAPAN COULD DO with a bit of good news—and guess who was in Tokyo last month spreading some? Bill Gates, the planet’s richest man and its most famous missionary for technology. As the high-tech revolution made the once-stagnant U.S. economy boom, Gates preached, so would it rescue Japan’s sick economy.

Wherever Gates goes, as he did to Japan and the rest of shell-shocked Asia to unveil his new Windows 98 operating system, he carries with him some of the keys to the new kingdom. In Tokyo he appeared with executives of four consumer electronics giants. But he had a special date with his friend Nobuyuki Idei, a revolutionary in his own right as president of Sony Corp., arguably the most advanced and worldly of Japan’s technology companies.

Sony’s specialty is entertainment tech. Microsoft’s is information tech. The two technologies are blending, and their future together portends wondrous possibilities.

We interviewed Gates and Idei at a golf club near Narita Airport where Gates, an improving 23-handicapper, enjoyed a game with Idei, a practiced 80s shooter.

Forbes: Sony Chairman Norio Ohga recently declared that Japan is on the verge of economic collapse. What do technology guys like you have to offer to get Japan back on its feet?

Gates: Certainly if you look at the U.S. economy, it’s a much better picture than anyone can explain. If you talk to Alan Greenspan or many of the intelligent observers, they think that the use of technology and the efficiency of technology is a major factor there. I certainly believe that. If you look at the innovation in our business, the [economic] opportunities are incredible.

During the past five years the information technology industry has generated a quarter of the U.S.’ real economic growth, and it now accounts for more than 8% of our national output—much of that for export. This pattern is being repeated in varying degrees around the world. And by helping people work from wherever they live. A Turkish Web designer in Istanbul can work for a company based in Boston. This helps democratize wealth.

Japan has a tradition of keeping information nonpublic. Isn’t this a drawback in the information age?

Gates: I think you’re vastly overstating any cultural impediment in Japan to using technology. Go back 10 years ago. Every article in America was about how Japan knew how to do things and we knew nothing. We had to throw out all our approaches. Every industry was going to go over to Japan. We didn’t stand next to our desks and sing songs, or what was it we needed to do?

Now, 10 years later, other than the U.S., what is the economy that has technology leaders, investment in education, world class excellence? Certainly Japan is in much better shape than most European countries.

Idei: Europe is very strong in telecommunications, with the GSM standard, and in digital terrestrial television. Europe will become stronger with the introduction of the euro single currency.

Getting back to Japan …

Gates: The fascination with technology in Japan is very, very high.

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