Review: Gates
Editorial Review - Kirkus ReviewsAn illuminating, unsentimental biography of William H. Gates III, youthful cofounder of Microsoft--the multibillion-dollar enterprise that dominates the world of PC software. While Manes (a columnist for PC/Computing) and Andrews (a Seattle Times correspondent) do a better job of explaining the commercial/technical significance of their subjects's contributions to a transforming industry than did James Wallace and Jim Erickson in Hard Drive (p. 526), they provide more detail than many readers may care to absorb. Drawing on access to Gates as well as to his family, associates, and rivals, Manes and Andrews offer a like-it-is portrait of an archetypal nerd who built a world-class business empire. They follow the abrasive, ultracompetitive Harvard dropout from a privileged boyhood in the Pacific Northwest through his creation, with Paul Allen, of the first computer language for PCs and of Microsoft and more. Along his fast track to the top, Gates (now 37) helped develop DOS (the pace-setting computer operating system), joined forces with IBM (an alliance that subsequently dissolved in acrimony), and made notable enemies (including Apple). Although the focused, obsessive entrepreneur devotes most of his waking hours to work, the authors make clear that he has a lively, if unconventional, social life, which has included virtual ""dates"" in which he and an old flame attended the same movie in different cities and discussed it via car phones on their respective ways home. Manes and Andrews also illustrate how, for all his achievements, Gates remains envious of genuine scientific genius capable of breakthroughs on the cutting edge of technology. An exhaustive report on an aging whiz-kid whose consequential life story is far from over. The scrupulously documented text has 16 pages of photos (not seen).
Review: Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry-And Made Himself the Richest Man in America
User Review - Bryan Kim - GoodreadsIncredibly well researched and detailed book, almost to a fault. The 460 page tome spares nary a detail or characters from the life and times of Bill Gates and Microsoft... so much so that it becomes ... Read full review
Review: Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America
User Review - Mark Schomburg - GoodreadsThis is an excellent detailed story of the earliest days before Microsoft existed to its preeminence. To finally see the real path inside local Seattle that led to the beginnings is a real treat ... Read full review
Review: Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America
User Review - Prabowo Shakti - GoodreadsWitness the transformation! It was the theme of the day, the slogan for the biggest, splashiest software rollout yet concocted. It was emblazoned on posters, flyers, buttons. It sounded like the ... Read full review
Review: Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America
User Review - David - GoodreadsThis is one of my favorite books - I loved the story of how Microsoft came to be and how Gates manipulated everyone, including the Execs at IBM. If you enjoy reading about how companies are made, and the risks that are taken, this is a MUST read. Read full review
Review: Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America
User Review - Jbradley86 Bradley - GoodreadsThis book gives many details about what Bill Gates was like in his younger days, and how he rose to the top. The reader will get an idea of what it was like to work for Microsoft in those early days ... Read full review
Review: Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America
User Review - Otis Chandler - GoodreadsI picked this up in a Library in Big Sur, expecting to learn about Bill Gates, and instead found it was about the history of the PC industry. A fascinating history, and still a very relevant read, even though the history stops at 1995. There have been just a few developments since then! Read full review
