I was announcing to the public, in 2006, that I'd be leaving Microsoft in a couple of years and focusing full-time on the foundation. That was the time at which we went back to New York and Warren [Buffett] announced these gifts to a number of foundations, with a very high percentage of it going to us and basically doubling our capacity.
Bill GatesIf you're using first-class land for biofuels, then you're competing with the growing of food. And so you're actually spiking food prices by moving energy production into agriculture.
Bill GatesThere are several hundred people who stayed in the Ebola-affected countries and continued to do the work, put themselves at great risk because medical workers are the most likely to be infected because they're helping out when the person's health is deteriorating, including quite a bit of bleeding as they're getting very, very sick.
Bill GatesI like my job because it involves learning. I like being around smart people who are trying to figure out new things. I like the fact that if people really try they can figure out how to invent things that actually have an impact.
Bill GatesThe common thread for everything I do is this idea of a Web-services architecture. What does that mean? It means taking components of software and systems and having them be self-describing, so that you can aim them, ask them what their capabilities are, and communicate with them using a standard protocol.
Bill GatesThere is a certain responsibility that accrued to me when I got to this unexpected position.
Bill GatesPerhaps I should be flattered that somebody imagines the name is worth so much, especially since my parents gave me the same name 42 years ago for free.
Bill GatesI think the positive competition between states in India is one of the most positive dynamics that the country has.
Bill GatesHaiti should remind us all that there is an immediate need to invest in and promote long-term development projects that are sustainable, scalable, and proven to work.
Bill GatesTeaching is the human thing, in terms of building the kids' self-confidence, so if we take the broad ways that we want to see society to be better, science can only provide certain pieces of that.
Bill GatesMost of our competitors were one-product wonders... They would do their one product, but never get their engineering sorted out.
Bill GatesThe answer is simple, and harsh. The market did not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system.
Bill GatesIn fact, batteries haven't improved over the last 100 years as much as they would need to in order to make that happen. So I'm invested in a lot of battery companies - and there's a lot that exists I'm not in. They're all having a tough time achieving it.
Bill GatesPeople who feel the world is tilted against them will spawn the kind of hatred that is very dangerous for all of us. I think it's a healthy sign that there are demonstrators in the streets. They are raising the question of 'is the rich world giving back enough?'
Bill GatesThere are people who don't like capitalism, and people who don't like PCs. But there's no-one who likes the PC who doesn't like Microsoft.
Bill GatesEvery three years, we have to go to the governments and say, okay, you know you're saving millions of lives and even though your budgets are tight, helping Africa avoid this disaster really is a priority.
Bill GatesWe need a malaria epidemic in the blogging community! Either that or we need people who have seen the malaria epidemic to start blogging.
Bill GatesI remember in 1980 or 1981 looking at a list of people who had made a lot of money in the computer industry and thinking, Wow, that's amazing. But I never thought I'd be on that list. It's clear I was wrong. I'm on the list, at least temporarily.
Bill GatesNatural epidemics can be extremely large. Intentionally caused epidemics, bioterrorism, would be the largest of all.
Bill GatesYou might say, well, aren't people saying that about wind and solar today? Not really. Only in the super-narrow sense that the capital costs per output, when the wind is blowing, is slightly lower.
Bill GatesInnovation is a good thing. The human condition - put aside bioterrorism and a few footnotes - is improving because of innovation.
Bill GatesEffective philanthropy requires a lot of time and creativity - the same kind of focus and skills that building a business requires.
Bill GatesSome very poor countries run great vaccination systems, and some richer ones run terrible programs.
Bill GatesThe US really has to get out in front. We are the biggest per person, by a substantial amount, greenhouse emitters, and we give the most foreign aid, not per person but in absolute.
Bill GatesThere were a lot of missteps in the early days, but because we got in early we got to make more mistakes than other people.
Bill GatesMaking sure all our students get a great education, find a career that's fulfilling and rewarding, and have a chance to live out their dreams ... wouldn't just make us a more successful country - it would also make us a more fair and just one.
Bill GatesGreat organizations demand a high level of commitment by the people involved. Eliminate politics, by giving everybody the same message. Keep a flat organization in which all issues are discussed openly. Empower teams to do their own things.
Bill GatesMe and my dad are the biggest promoters of an estate tax in the US. It's not a popular position.
Bill GatesDepending on how quickly you get ocean rise, you have people who live in river deltas [at risk]. Bangladesh is largely a river delta, and the rising sea level means that when storms come in, the human sanitation is backing up, the ability to farm, it's destructive-type situations like you saw in New Orleans with Katrina. You're increasing the frequency of that stuff in low-lying areas fairly dramatically.
Bill GatesThe competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.
Bill GatesWe’re no longer in the days where every program is super well crafted. But at the heart of the programs that make it to the top, you’ll find that the key internal code was done by a few people who really knew what they were doing.
Bill GatesIf I'd had some set idea of a finish line, don't you think I would have crossed it years ago?
Bill GatesBeing able to see an activity log of where a kid has been going on the Internet is a good thing.
Bill GatesEmployers have decided that having the breadth of knowledge that's associated with a four-year degree is often something they want to see in the people they give that job to.
Bill GatesBy almost any measure, the world is better than it has ever been. People are living longer, healthier lives. Many nations that were aid recipients are now self-sufficient. You might think that such striking progress would be widely celebrated, but in fact, Melinda and I are struck by how many people think the world is getting worse. The belief that the world can’t solve extreme poverty and disease isn’t just mistaken. It is harmful. That’s why in this year’s letter we take apart some of the myths that slow down the work. The next time you hear these myths, we hope you will do the same.
Bill Gates