Actually, Microsoft paid $50,000 for MSDOS. I have never met Bill Gates personally but my wife and I have met some of the other Microsoft Founders, Steve Balmer and Paul Allen in social situations. They are smart guys obviously, but there are many smart people around. Being lucky SOBs does the most to explain their great wealth. The true innovators have typically not been the ones who become incredibly wealthy in our society.
I have never met Bill Gates personally but my wife and I have met some of the other Microsoft Founders, Steve Balmer and Paul Allen in social situations. They are smart guys obviously, but there are many smart people around. Being lucky SOBs does the most to explain their great wealth. The true innovators have typically not been the ones who become incredibly wealthy in our society.
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I like to read biographies and almost everyone who’s exceptionally famous or wealthy had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time with the right idea. And it’s also true that most of them are very intelligent and/or hard workers.