The richest families in Florence in 1427 are still the richest (2016)

Re:The richest families in Florence in 1427 are still the ri... by dctoedt on Thursday January 10, 2019 @02:19PM (#18877052)

I remember reading somewhere that when IBM was looking for an OS and was starting to talk to Bill Gates, John Akers (IBM senior exec, maybe CEO then?) was briefed on it and said, "Isn't that Mary Gates's boy?" Akers and Mary Gates were both on the national board of directors for United Way — and reportedly Mary Gates had talked to Akers about the importance of the newer, smaller companies in the burgeoning computer industry. [0]

[0] https://hbr.org/2005/12/how-to-build-your-network

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Re:The richest families in Florence in 1427 are still the ri... by skookumchuck on Thursday January 10, 2019 @05:46PM (#18879130)

Obviously IBM was looking at Gates before noticing he was Mary's son. Don't forget that Gates was already a major player in the microcomputer software business, he didn't need any more "connection" than that. Of course IBM would go knocking on his door.

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