Bill Gates Speaks To Employees

After the press briefing, Gates & Ballmer held an employees-only meeting. I sat in the second row, very very close -- but my phone camera lens is pretty lame. Facing the audience are Bill (left) and Steve (right). The front row was reserved for VIPs. Gates spoke at length about the company's future, but also took time to look back and wax nostalgic about where he, personally, has been. He also spoke very frankly about his personal wealth and how with age he's come to realize the depth of his responsibility to society. After Bill spoke, Steve came up to give a few words -- and while Steve spoke, Bill sat in his chair and... cried. Outright, couldn't-hide-it, cried. He's human too, and the story of Microsoft _is_ the story of his life. In front of me from L to R: J Allard (Corp VP, X Box), Steven Sinofsky (VP, Office), and Ray Ozzie (now CSA). To J Allard's left was Melinda Gates, and to Ozzie's right was Paul Allen. The front row was, quite literally, a "who's who" in the PC industry. At the meeting, I had the priviledge to see a small moment in history. It's the end of the PC Era, an era largely defined by Gates. Or perhaps, it's the end of the beginning...