I first encountered Microsoft in terms of buying their products in about 1981. I bought a game for my Apple II- Adventure (aka “Colossal Cave”, the original Crowther and Woods text based adventure) from them. I followed Bill Gates’ career from about that time, and always felt like, in a weird way, he and I were twins separated at birth… even though he’s older than me and I’m far, far sexier.

In about 1990, I had a beer (several, actually- I think it was a post-training course social thing) with a fellow in Seattle who told me I looked just like Bill. He then proceeded to tell me how his family used to have a summer cottage near the Gates’ clan when Bill was a kid. He described summers sharing BBQs and swimming with the Gates’ family, and turning down a job offer from Bill in the early 1980’s. My momentary pride at being described as “like Bill Gates” was quashed when the guy described the young Bill Gates as a pain in the neck smartass geek, and how he once nearly drowned Bill while swimming because he was so irritating.

In later life, I realized that the “pain in the neck smartass” was a lot more like me than I was probably willing to admit.

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Bill Gates has been traveling a bit recently, and was apparently doing a bit of touring in Africa.  Unfortunately, his request for a Nigerian Visa was initially met with a somewhat rude refusal.

The Nigerians were worried Bill might arrive in their fabulously wealthy and desirable nation and perhaps try to over-stay his welcome, scamming their incredibly generous social welfare programs to support him in his impoverished condition.

Earth to Nigeria: Bill could probably buy your whole country and still have a few billion in change.  Okay, seriously: they probably didn’t believe it was *the* Bill Gates, and reasonably asked to see proof of his financial situation.  But still…you have to admit, it’s funny. 

I have this recurring fantasy of being Bill-Gates rich, putting on my grubbiest clothes, and going in to, say, a Bentley automobile showroom and asking to take a test drive.  Then, when they either try to show me the door or smarmily suggest that the automobiles might be out of my price range, handing them my American Express and saying “I’ll take the whole showroom”.  I think I might update that fantasy to going to  Nigeria, being asked to demonstrate my financial solvency, and handing them my American Express and saying “I’ll take the whole country”.

It’s really not news that Bill Gates is stepping down from his role at Microsoft. I recall him saying pretty clearly five or six years ago that he planned on removing himself from his position within the company before he was 55, and spending an increasing amount of time in his philanthropist role within the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

That said, it is something of an end of an era. Bill and I sort of “grew up” together in a philosophical sense. One of the first computers I played with was an Altair 8800- Bill and Paul Allen both worked briefly for MITS, the company that made the Altair, and formed “Micro-Soft” at that time. I bought my first computer in 1980, when Microsoft was still had fewer than 30 people on staff and was generating less than $3 million a year in revenues. I remember reading about Bill Gates at around that time- he was still in his early 20’s, and not yet a “superstar”, and I figured he was doing exactly what I wanted to do: write code and get rich

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think of Bill Gates as some sort of technology god. He possesses any number of flaws, from his storied arrogance and overwhelming (some would say crushing) drive to his dandruff. But Bill has been my stand-in in a world of former football-jock CEOs possessing Yale and Harvard MBAs and about as much technical know-how as an ice cube. He proved that someone who really knew things, a technologist not a jock or cocktail sipping blueblood, could “win”. That brains could win out over smooth charm, fine manicures, and tailored suits. My personal “revenge of the Nerds” icon.

So, here we are, 26 years later. Bill is 50, so him stepping down is right on track for his plans. Ray Ozzie is another one of my technology “idols”, and he is taking on much of Bill’s technical leadership roll within Microsoft. But for me, Bill Gates will always signify my “youth” and growth in the technology field. Thanks, Bill- and best of luck to you in your increasing role within the Foundation.