Hard drive

I'm mid-way through Hard Drive which is about Bill Gates and the making of the Microsoft empire, and already I am in awe of this incredible man. No wonder he became the world's richest man. His vision, persistence and focus is unparelleled!

Some highlights:

- Everything is a competition to this man, even a friendly poker game and he will not rest till he has won.

- He is known for clocking 36 hour days, only to collapse in a heap under his desk, blanket over his head. He is revived easily with a cup of coffee.

- Super-cerebal, he can take on lawyers, programmers and bosses of big companies, even at 21. His photographic memory allows him to read, understand and remember tedious business books which he devoured in Harvard while other students read Playboy.

- A visionary, he saw the future of personal computers and how we would do away with paper and pen and just communicate via our PCs...this was back in the 70s when computers cost millions and only big companies had them. He also told everyone that he would be a millionaire at 25.

- Looks can be deceiving. Bill Gates looks much younger than his 21 years, especially with his floppy hair, acne and sloppy dressing. His non-threatening looks belie an astute business mind and he is often underestimated by deal-makers and competitors.

- He is known for his tantrums, tendency to speed, arrogance (he has a penchant for calling people" stupid" or "idiots") and habit of rocking to and fro when he is in a meeting (it is common to walk into a sale meeting at Microsoft and find him and his group of managers rocking in tandem).

I find him fascinating.