Microsoft founder Bill Gates was commenting on the number of Israeli start-ups and local successes.
Ofer Levi 26 Oct 05 11:29
If there is one things that stirs upequanimity of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) founder, chairman and software architect Bill Gates, it is his Internet rival Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG). “People might not remember, but Google was not the first player on the field,” said Gates at the start of his visit to Israel last night. He is scheduled to leave Israel this afternoon. “Overture was the first Internet search company. Google completely copied what it does. There was also Alta Vista.
“Google has done good work, but Alta Vista was first. We now have people working for us who built Alta Vista’s search engine. The Alta Vista people working for us are brilliant folks who are helping us take search engines to a new level. It seems that Google is our main competitor today.”
Gates said that he was very excited to visit Israel. “I’ve finally had the opportunity to meet our partners and customers. Considering the density of start-ups in Israel and local successes, Israel is like a part of Silicon Valley.”
When asked how it feels to be the world’s richest man, after a long pause, Gates says that it is both an honor and a responsibility. “Everything I do involves a lot of responsibility. My work at Microsoft and for charity involves a lot of responsibility, but I also enjoy what I do. My wealth enables me to do things, and I must confess that I make the right choices on how the wealth is distributed for treating diseases.
“I don’t think about money every day, but about software and my family. My wealth is now mainly divided between Microsoft shares and the money I donate to charity.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on October 26, 2005
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