For me, a big part of the fun has always been to hire and work with smart people. I enjoy learning from them. Some of the smart people we’re hiring now are a lot younger than I am. I envy them for having grown up with better computers. They’re extraordinarily talented and will contribute new visions. If Microsoft can combine these visions with listening carefully to customers, we have a chance to continue to lead the way. We can certainly keep providing better and better software to make the PC a universally empowering tool. I often say I have the best job in the world, and I mean it.
I think this is a wonderful time to be alive. There have never been so many opportunities to do things that were impossible before. It’s also the best time ever to start new companies, advance sciences such as medicine that improve quality of life, and stay in touch with friends and relatives. It’s important that both the good and bad points of the technological advances be discussed broadly so that society as a whole, rather than just technologists, can guide its direction.
Now it’s back to you. I explained in the Foreword that I was writing this book to help get a dialogue started and to call attention to a number of the opportunities and issues that individuals, companies, and nations will face. My hope is that after reading this book you will share some of my optimism, and will join the discussion about how we should be shaping the future.