Bill Gates was not a likable guy when he was a child. He takes his time in doing things, is often late, always bites the end of his pencil, reads while eating, seldom folds quilts, and is unwilling to socialize with his classmates. How did such a child grow up to become the founder of the Microsoft empire and the world's richest man for 13 consecutive years? Bill Gates' father, Bill Gates, told the story of Bill Gates' growth in the book "Every Child is a Gates" . "As a father, I never imagined that this rebellious little boy who lives in me, eats in my house, and uses my name would one day be my boss," Gates Sr. said in a public speech, drawing laughter from the audience. "But this is the reality." The 84-year-old Gates was once a lawyer in Seattle. Before retiring, he was a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis, which later changed its name to K&L. Gates is one of the top ten law firms in the United States, with more than 100 lawyers under its umbrella. After his wife of 40 years, Mary, died of cancer in 2016, Gates Sr. has been hoping to use various social works to make him forget his grief, especially his wife's beloved charity. When he retired in 2011, Gates Sr. accepted the advice of his son and daughter-in-law Melinda and served as co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Foundation, working for children and engaging in philanthropy to this day. I was worried about my son being autistic. In the early days of Microsoft's success, when Bill Gates began to become a world-famous person, almost everyone - from Fortune reporters to grocery store cashiers - asked questions about his parents. Gates asked this question: "How did you raise such an outstanding child? Is there any secret?" Faced with such questions, he often said to himself: "Even if there is an unknown secret, even I I don’t even understand it!” Gates Sr.’s original name was Bill Henry Gates II. In October of that year, when his second child, his only son, was born, according to the family tradition of inheriting the names of his fathers, he would give his son a word from his name, so he was named "Bill Gay". "Trey", but considering that there are two Bills in the family, it is easy to get confused, so we decided to use "Trey" as his nickname. In the family's favorite card game, "Trey" refers to a card with three points. Gates Jr. was born in a typical American middle-class family. After his father, Gates Sr., graduated from the University of Washington School of Law, he did not enter a law firm like other students. Instead, he chose to return to his hometown of Bremerton, Seattle, and start as a principal agent - this is not a prestigious career. , he must accumulate experience by representing divorce cases, drunk driving cases and other trivial and hard work. Mother Mary is the daughter of a banker and one of the leaders of the United Charities Federation of America. She also has to take care of her three children, including Bill Gates. "When I was a child, my father always packed up his folders early and went out to practice law." Bill Gates recalled. Most of his childhood was spent with books and his mother. He read through the "World Encyclopedia" at an early age and often troubled his parents with questions such as international relations, economics and what is the nature of life. What the father could do was to keep buying books and borrowing books from the library. He had to return some books to the library in time to borrow more to satisfy his son's constant reading. The elder Gates believes that it is very important to cultivate an interest in reading in Bill Gates's preschool education, which is due to Bill Gates's grandmother Jiami. The old man always likes to let the children read story books and guide them from the side. Jiami lets them read the content of the book aloud and discuss it. As a result, the children quickly mastered a large number of vocabulary. Gates Sr. did not shy away from the efforts he expended on little Gates' preschool education, including piano lessons and physical education classes... even though it later turned out that little Gates had no expertise in this area. At that time, Bill Gates could not understand the good intentions of his parents. Although he did not contract the bad habits of the rebellious period, his hobbies were just reading and thinking about issues that adults took for granted or had no time to care about. Gates Sr. and his wife are worried that their son will develop autism.
In 2016, Harvard Law School decided to award Bill Gates an honorary doctorate in law. He said to the old Gates in the audience: "Dad, I told you a long time ago that I will come back to get my degree!" Microsoft The help of the Gates family played a crucial role in the early development of Microsoft. The first opportunity Gates encountered after founding Microsoft was to cooperate with IBM, which was inseparable from the role of his mother Mary. Mary was a volunteer with the United Charities of America, where she became the first female leader in its history. On the board of directors of the United Charity Federation, she met John Opel, then president of IBM. Through Mary's introduction, Opel learned about the existence of Microsoft. Microsoft was trying to sell MS-DOS to IBM at the time, hoping that IBM's computers would come with this working platform when they left the factory. Bill Gates faced a strong competitor - Digital Research, which had produced the world's first widely used microcomputer operating system. When Opel reviewed Microsoft's proposal, he immediately said: "Oh! This is Mary Gates' son." IBM employees said that Gates' mother played the role of her son's recommender, allowing Gates to win the IBM job Good impression. Microsoft finally stood on the shoulders of "Big Blue", the MS-DOS operating system was adopted by IBM, and Gates' professionalism also left a deep impression on IBM. "That was a young man who was wiser than his years - a programming genius. His innate intuition allowed him to master how to strive for beneficial cooperation with IBM." An IBM executive said. When IBM offered to buy the MS-DOS patents, Bill Gates wisely refused. After that, many computer manufacturers adopted MS-DOS as the operating system for their products, which greatly increased Microsoft's value. In 2008, Bill Gates decided to move back to Seattle, where his family is located, because no elite talent wanted to work in the desert of Albuquerque, and he also wanted to be able to communicate with his family at any time. "Every Sunday I go home to talk to my parents about the challenges I face, and then get some advice. Going home is to decompress." In Seattle, the elder Gates used his experience in guiding small and medium-sized enterprises to provide help to Microsoft. His law firm provided legal support to Microsoft, and he invited business people from Seattle to serve on Microsoft's board of directors. The elder Gates and his wife also introduced Warren Buffett to their son through friends. Bill Gates' eldest sister, Christie, who works at Deloitte Accounting Firm, also provided professional financial guidance to Microsoft. In 2011, 11 years after its establishment, Microsoft finally went public. In just one year, Microsoft's stock price increased sixfold, and Gates became a billionaire. According to Forbes, his net worth reached $1.25 billion in 2016. "I remember the first time Mary and Turley's grandmother and I drove to Microsoft headquarters in the 1980s. The first Microsoft building was being built and the foundation of another was being laid. It was such a special feeling, even more so than the earnings numbers or the landing. The business version of the media is much more real," Gates Sr. said. In a speech after joining the Bill & Melinda Foundation in 2001, Gates senior complained about his son in a joking tone. "It turns out that when people mention Bill Gates, they are talking about me. If I am not the most popular candidate for spokesperson in Seattle, I will be a backup." He reminded the audience that they must name their children after themselves in the future. Be careful, since his son's reputation eclipsed his own, he automatically changed his name to Bill Gates Senior. "Look at me, I don't even have a name now. Not only do I add the prefix 'Senior', but I also have to report to my son." Of course, this was just a joke, and Gates' pride was palpable. Conversation with Gates Sr. Gates Jr.’s dropping out of school once disappointed me. Reporter: The name Gates has a high appeal in China. Does this surprise you? Gates Sr.: I have traveled all over the world, constantly. Surprised at how famous the last name "Gates" is. Sometimes, I am a little annoyed - since my son has the same name as me, I no longer have a patent on the name that I have had for many years, and occasionally feel that I am being devalued - but this feeling is soon replaced by The son's proud emotion took over.
I hope Chinese families also understand that the life of the Gates family is the same as theirs - our parenting experience is no different from theirs. Although the name "Gates" enjoys a high reputation, we are just one of the ordinary people. Reporter: When educating children, adults always say: You will be like me in the future, or never be like your parents. What did you tell your son at that time? Do you want him to follow in your footsteps? He is choosing a completely different path. Have you ever been disappointed after taking different paths? Gates Sr.: I hope I never said to my children, "Be like me in the future, don't be like me." Our motto has always been to do our best and pursue our dreams. After Bill dropped out of Harvard, I was not only frustrated but worried about his future—what would he do without a college degree. But now I’m sure the kids followed our teachings and did their best for their dreams—but at the time, in my son’s eyes, I didn’t have the ability to dream. Reporter: Has Gates ever disappointed you? Including his dropping out of school? Gates Sr.: As I just said, his dropping out of school disappointed and shocked me, but it turned out that he chose the most correct path. As a parent, There is no better reward. Reporter: You have always kept a low profile and acted modestly. Do you not want to put too much pressure on your son? Gates Sr.: I have many things to be humble about, and I remind myself of this every day. If I didn't, a lot of people would too. It's just my nature and I don't behave differently because of my son or daughter. Reporter: What is your attitude towards raising children? Old Gates: Respect, frank communication, love. Reporter: Bill Gates is the richest man in the world. He has donated a lot of money to charity. What is your family's attitude towards wealth? Old Gates: When I was young, I was always afraid of living in poverty. Growing up during the Great Depression, I began to understand the importance of increasing revenue and cutting expenditures. Money must be spent wisely and earned through hard work. I still have this thought. Reporter: Why do you still dedicate yourself to running the world's largest charity, the Gates Foundation, at the age of eighty? Gates: Because I feel that I am still necessary and I have the ability to help others. I think we are all part of this cause, and I have the responsibility and desire to be a useful member of this planet. Reporter: What kind of changes does your family hope that charity will bring to society? Gates Sr.: I don’t know. I can only say that charity will ultimately make the world a better place.