Yeah, if you have ever seen Gates in person or watched him speak, you would see that Hall nailed him perfectly. Gates is one of those minds that is so directed, concentrating on what is in from of him that he completely lacked self awareness. He did not see how he affected those around him. At tech shows, he would go for days without sleeping, bathing, or even looking in a mirror. There was just too much going on that he felt needed his attention.
It is the difference between being a Geek and a nerd. The Geek's got the self awareness to take care of those things. That is what Jobs was. Look at how he adjusted to his audience. Shaved the beard, bought the suit.
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elephant_sounds
13 years ago
It is the difference between being a Geek and a nerd. The Geek's got the self awareness to take care of those things.
Wow. Never heard about this concept of geeks having self awareness before. Don't suppose you just made that up...?
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indyhu
13 years ago
Not recently, but I have been using that line of thought for years. I can't say I made it up, but that I came to that conclusion by observing those who consider themselves Geeks and those who are labeled Nerds.
The terms have gone through a lot of changes in the last few decades, so IMHO, they are apt descriptions.
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Captain_Bob
13 years ago
I was at Microsoft '88-'98 and got to do business presentations to Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and many of the other top brass, and I've had several conversations with Bill. I thought Anthony Michael Hall did a pretty good take on him. Loved him pacing behind Steve Jobs egging him on about how he's "vulnerable in spreadsheets" "we can help you" etc. Bill is so good at pretending to be Mr. Nice Guy when beneath it he's a very shrewd calculating player, but to his credit now he's intent on giving away most of his money for charitable causes.
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