On April 30th, American media recently reported that Bill Gates, the co-founder of the company, although seemingly detached from Microsoft's daily operations on the surface, is actually closely monitoring and driving the company's artificial intelligence strategy behind the scenes. He not only plays a role in strategic decision-making but also actively participates in product development and senior management recruitment, especially in collaboration with OpenAI, where Gates plays a crucial bridging role.
Gates' foresight is evident in the launch of new artificial intelligence products at Microsoft, especially in the development and deployment of the AI tool Copilot. The article states that Gates remains a key driver of Microsoft's technological innovation and strategic direction.
In 2017, even before Microsoft partnered with the emerging AI startup OpenAI, Gates had already noticed the future trends. He sent a forward-thinking memo to then-CEO Satya Nadella and other senior executives, predicting the emergence of a new world order dominated by what he described as "AI entities." These AI entities would exist in the form of digital personal assistants, not only accurately predicting our every need but also surpassing Siri and Alexa in intelligence, possessing almost god-like knowledge storage and extraordinary intuition.
In the memo, Gates expressed his views: "AI will fundamentally change the way people interact with computers and will have a disruptive impact on the entire software industry, leading to the biggest computing revolution from simple command inputs to graphical interface clicks."
This memo caused a stir within Microsoft. Many felt the content was too futuristic, almost like science fiction. "It feels like an unreachable future," commented an anonymous Microsoft executive. Previous attempts by Microsoft in developing personal AI entities, such as the unsuccessful Office assistant Clippy and the controversial racial chatbot Tay, had become the subject of ridicule. Therefore, few believed at the time that the new generation of intelligent entities could truly change Microsoft's fate.
But today, Gates' foresight has proven to be remarkably prescient. It was his prediction that foreshadowed the birth of the AI tool Copilot, which helped Microsoft leap to become the world's most valuable tech company. Powered by OpenAI's GPT large language model, Copilot made its debut as a Microsoft product last year, assisting users in efficiently completing various tasks such as preparing presentations and writing meeting summaries. The anonymous executive expressed his admiration once again: "Copilot's current capabilities fully align with Gates' predictions back then."
However, none of this is by chance!
Gates' influence behind the scenes remains strong
Since 2021, amidst controversy over inappropriate behavior with female employees, Gates has almost disappeared from the public eye in relation to Microsoft. However, internal sources reveal that Gates has been actively planning Microsoft's AI revolution behind the scenes. Both former and current executives acknowledge that Gates is still deeply involved in the company's operations, providing strategic advice, evaluating products, participating in senior management recruitment, and helping establish and strengthen crucial connections between Microsoft and OpenAI's co-founder and CEO, Sam Altman.
In early 2023, Microsoft launched the Bing search engine powered by the same technology as ChatGPT, posing a strong challenge to competitors like Google. Executives admit that Gates played a key role in initiating this project. Nadella is seen as the iconic figure of Microsoft's AI success, while Gates remains the unsung hero behind the scenes.
Another Microsoft executive revealed: "What you see is not the whole story. Nadella and the entire senior leadership team heavily rely on Gates' wisdom. Whenever the company faces significant changes, we seek his advice."
A decade ago, when Nadella took over Microsoft's leadership from Steve Ballmer, the company's future was widely underestimated. Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel even criticized Microsoft for "relying on past technological innovations." Therefore, Nadella, who had been with Microsoft since 1992, sought help from Gates. When Nadella became CEO, he asked Gates to dedicate 30% of his time to Microsoft as a technical advisor, not only out of technical necessity but also to boost employee morale. He once said, "When I tell them to go talk to Bill, I know they will do their homework and give it their all."
In 2020, when Gates left the Microsoft board, Nadella highly praised his contributions. Nadella pledged that Microsoft would "continue to benefit from Gates' unwavering passion for technology and valuable advice, driving our products and services forward."
However, a year later, amidst the storm of Gates' divorce from his wife Melinda and the details of his inappropriate relationship with a female employee being exposed, internal investigations and Gates' resignation ensued. As reports of Gates' misconduct increased, the image he and his PR team had carefully crafted over the years quickly crumbled. Some female employees publicly described experiences of Gates inviting them on trips, and Gates' meetings with the controversial billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, including flying on his private plane, came back into the spotlight. In this context, Nadella's former mentor suddenly became a burden, and Microsoft swiftly distanced itself from Gates. Nadella stated at the time, "The Microsoft of 2021 is vastly different from the Microsoft of 2000. The power dynamics in the workplace cannot tolerate any form of abuse." He later added that the company's primary responsibility is to "foster a culture where everyone has the right to do meaningful work." However, reports indicate that Nadella still allowed Gates to be involved in the "meaningful work" behind the scenes. He did not oust Gates from the company but continued to seek his advice and expertise, making Gates a key figure in Microsoft's quest for dominance in the field of artificial intelligence.
Gates Facilitates Microsoft's Collaboration with OpenAI
While it is widely believed that the collaboration between Microsoft and OpenAI was orchestrated by the company's Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Scott, the story of this collaboration's origins overlooks an important detail: since 2016, Gates had been regularly meeting with senior members of OpenAI. Since the release of "The Road Ahead" in 1995, Gates has envisioned a world where everyone can use personalized software to browse the internet, software that can understand users' needs and preferences in a manner akin to a human assistant.
Under Gates' guidance, Microsoft had launched several early versions of intelligent assistants, some of which were comical and others heavily criticized. From the cartoon dog Rover guiding people through Windows 95 to the widely regarded as one of the worst assistants in history, Clippy, none of Microsoft's attempts had met Gates' expectations. However, OpenAI seemed to provide Microsoft with an opportunity to realize Gates' long-standing dream. Since the two companies established their partnership, OpenAI's leadership regularly briefed Gates on progress, key milestones, and significant challenges at his mansion in Washington.
In fact, Gates played a crucial role in the process of OpenAI joining forces with Microsoft. In mid-2022, two years after being ousted from the Microsoft board, Gates privately challenged OpenAI and Altman to create a model that could pass a college biology exam, a task he deemed nearly impossible. However, at a dinner held at Gates' home in August 2022, Altman and OpenAI showcased GPT-4 outside the company for the first time, with Nadella also in attendance. When GPT-4 successfully passed the test, Gates was greatly astonished, calling it "the most amazing demo I've ever seen in my life."
This demonstration deeply moved Gates, prompting him to write another memo detailing how Microsoft should leverage GPT-4. Gates firmly believed that widely trained large language models on the internet would ultimately lead the era of personal intelligent agents. In a memo later published on his personal blog, Gates wrote, "Imagine a digital personal assistant that can browse your recent emails, understand the meetings you're involved in, read what you've read, and even suggest content you haven't read but might be interested in."
According to two executives, Gates' memo was akin to gospel, inspiring Microsoft to seize the initiative in the artificial intelligence arms race. Shortly after the dinner, Nadella hosted a crucial meeting at the Microsoft campus, explicitly instructing the team to integrate artificial intelligence into search, cybersecurity, and the Microsoft 365 suite of business applications, including Word and Outlook.
In early 2023, Microsoft launched a new version of its search engine Bing, now equipped with an intelligent agent supported by GPT, later named "Copilot." Almost overnight, thanks to Gates' strategic planning, Microsoft successfully transformed Bing from a human-dependent search engine into a powerful AI-driven tool, providing it with an opportunity to compete with Google.
In February 2023, Microsoft held a grand unveiling event at its headquarters, reminiscent of Steve Jobs' iPhone launch events. Nadella, beaming with confidence, officially declared war on Google. However, Gates did not attend the event.
Today, the relationship between Gates and Altman remains close. According to insiders, Altman visits Gates' home multiple times a year, and OpenAI seeks his advice on development issues. An insider stated that there is a "tight coupling" between Gates and OpenAI. OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood confirmed this, saying, "Altman and Gates are good friends, and OpenAI highly values his opinions and consultations. We look forward to continuing to meet with Gates."
Assisting Altman's Return to OpenAI Behind the Scenes
In November 2023, when the OpenAI board unexpectedly announced the dismissal of Sam Altman, Nadella and Microsoft swiftly intervened to quell the chaos. Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw later clarified that any communication between Gates and Altman did not represent Microsoft's official stance. He emphasized, "Gates is no longer with Microsoft and was not involved in this decision."
Five days after Altman's dismissal, Gates proactively reached out to Altman, expressing willingness to assist him in returning to a leadership position at OpenAI. Internal sources revealed that Gates' influence at Microsoft far exceeded his collaboration with OpenAI. Microsoft's executive team, including Business Applications Chief Charles Lamanna, Chief Scientist Jaime Teevan, Teams Chat App Head Jeff Teper, and Cybersecurity Chief Charlie Bell, regularly meet with Gates to discuss product progress.
Gates personally engages in recruiting and retaining key executives at Microsoft. A departing executive revealed that Gates is highly passionate about product reviews, often engaging in in-depth one-on-one discussions with executives. Last year, Gates disclosed that he spends about 10% of his time at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, providing product strategic advice.
Gates has long advocated for Microsoft to focus more on the consumer market, despite several consumer tech projects not succeeding. In March this year, when Microsoft announced the hiring of DeepMind's co-founder Mustafa Suleyman to lead a new consumer AI team, many industry observers were surprised. An insider stated, "Gates sees the consumer market as a huge opportunity for the future. Observing this newly formed consumer AI team clearly shows Gates' profound influence on Nadella."
However, Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw stated that Gates did not directly participate in Suleyman's recruitment process.
This contrasts with the image of deliberate distance maintained by both sides after Gates was removed from Microsoft's board. Gates has remained low-key, seemingly unaffected by any serious scandals. Currently, his Wikipedia page does not even mention the allegations of misconduct. Apparently, Microsoft in 2024 is not significantly different from the Microsoft described in 2021 by Nadella. Gates has not truly left, and his complex past has largely been forgotten.
Regarding Gates' role since leaving Microsoft's board in 2020, Frank Shaw stated that Gates' function as a technical advisor has not substantially changed. Faced with interview requests, Gates chooses to remain silent, and his representatives have not responded to requests for comment.
In the conclusion of the book "The Road Ahead," Gates once explored existentialism. At the age of 39, he lamented, "With the rapid advancement of computer technology, few leaders of an era can lead the next era. Therefore, from a historical perspective, I do not think Microsoft's prospects of maintaining a leading position on the information superhighway are optimistic." However, the middle-aged Gates revealed his true ambition: "I yearn to challenge the traditions of history."
Today, the nearly septuagenarian Gates continues to challenge history, always remaining behind the scenes. If Microsoft's revival can be seen as a symbol of something, it undoubtedly proves that Gates has succeeded.
