Focus Assignment

To many, Bill Gates is just a billionaire with a humongous mansion. However, people often forget that in order to reach the top, he had to work for countless hours with determination. In his quest for success, Gates had to deal with many lawsuits filed against him. He had to take many risks, never being sure if he was wasting time and money on unprofitable projects. However, with luck, intelligence, and gambling skills, he was able to earn billions. Being able to endure difficulties and never giving up on his dreams, he was able to achieve his goals, becoming one of the most powerful, admired, and wealthy people in the world.

Bill Gates became fascinated with computers in grade seven. Back then, he was a computer geek teased for his appearance: rumpled, with oversized glasses. Many years later, when Gates was asked whether he considered himself a nerd, he said, “if nerd means you can enjoy understanding the insides of a computer and sit in front of it for hours … and enjoy it.” Gates often skipped classes at Harvard in the early 1970s, but when he did attend, he paid little attention. He developed his gambling talents through playing poker with his friends in college. He dropped out of college after two years, to found Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen. Gates later said, “Our greatest success is due to [my willingness] to bet the whole company on the graphical interface.” Gates is very competitive, destructively so. His fear of failure urges him not only to win against his competitors, but also to destroy them, often buying up other companies in his industry, believing that if he can’t beat them, he must make them his.

Bill Gates is a tough, efficient, and brilliant negotiator. Gates loves strategy, planning his moves while understanding the big picture, in both business and technology. He has a fiery temper. In project briefings, Gates asks difficult questions, throws things, or screams, “This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of!” Acknowledged as a very egotistic man, he brags about defeating his business competitors. He dismissed many celebrities because they weren’t as intelligent and famous as him. Gates was a renowned womanizer before he got married. However, he rarely dated during college. Instead, he visited strip clubs.

To many people, Bill Gates’ huge success may have come as a surprise. First, many people with fiery tempers don’t succeed in business. Second, Gates rarely paid attention in class; he was able to succeed without much college education, not needing conventional paths to success. However, these factors reveal how he was able to succeed. His temper allowed him to expect the best from and motivate his employees. His ego made him want to prove himself to be the best. Although his ego makes him seem unpleasant, he is actually very sympathetic, having created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help the poor. Gates is an admirable person who is really more than what meets the eye.