4 ms·
Well, it isn't rags-to-riches but it's still very impressive. IBM's CEO knew a lot of people, not just Gate's mother.
by sliverstorm 11y ago
Well, it isn't rags-to-riches but it's still very impressive. IBM's CEO knew a lot of people, not just Gate's mother.
- rchaud 11y agoThey served together on the board of United Way; they weren't just random acquaintances. The social proof conditions necessary for Bill and Paul Allen to make their pitch to him had been satisfied both through their parents' credentials, social connections and the fact that they both went to Harvard. Not to take anything away from Gates' technical skills and business savvy. But this goes to the crux of a lot of startup stories. It could all have been very different if even one of those 'background variables' had been different and the meeting with IBM never happened.
- rmc 11y agoIBM's CEO might know a lot of people. But a lot of software founders don't know IBM's CEO.