In a speech at the University of Washington, Gates gave advice to a questioner from Beijing who confided in him that she had wanted to be the richest person in the world when she was growing up.
“I didn’t start out with a dream of being super-rich,” Gates replied, according to a Seattle Times report.
He recalled that after the Intel founders became billionaires, “I thought, ‘Wow, that must be strange.’ ... And so it is.”
Gates said he never set out to make a fortune, but just followed his passion for computers.
“I think most people who have done well have just found something they’re nuts about doing. Then they figure out a system to hire their friends to do it with them,” he said. “If it’s an area of great impact, then sometimes you get financial independence.”
But having many billions is not all great, he revealed.
“Wealth above a certain level, really, it’s a responsibility that you’re going to have to either leave it to your children, which may or may not be good for them, or try to be smart about giving it away,” he said.
"So I can understand about having millions of dollars, because there’s meaningful freedom that comes with that, but once you get much beyond that I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger. ... But being ambitious is good. You just have to pick what you enjoy doing.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your Commenting...