Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire (Hardcover)

The story is starting to get a bit dated but the book still has 95% of the Gates story warts and all. He is one of the most compelling and admired and maybe feared business leaders today.

Unlike Jack Welch, another great leader and manager, he started from zero or near zero in a new field and (largely) owned the company. I remember seeing the personal computers for sale in the 70's - just pre Microsoft - that did not come with anything other than a very rudimentary software. He was one of the first people to recognize the dollar value of the software and to charge for its use in the hobby market. Since then he has dominated the market. Now there is a computer in virtually every office and home using his (expensive high margin) software. Now he has the resources to buy anything he wants, or to support any charity or university, or buy a sizeable portion of the stock in almost any company that he wishes. And of course he has no debt. He used no risky leverage or tricks. He took the software and generated billions of dollars in cash and securities on hand. It is quite the story.

This is a relatively short book and an easy read. Frankly it is a must read for anyone running their own business and or in the Tech field. Gates is the statistical anomaly who sits at the very pinnacle. He is perched even above Warren Buffet the financial guru who is at least 20 years older than Gates. But Gates was astute enough to buy DOS for $50,000. and then had the business smarts and drive to market and sell the product. He was a hands on manager working long hours and a technical leader. He was (is) as smart or smarter than anyone else in the field. He did not invent any major new invention but he had the practical ability to take the product to market and make it work, make it better, and build a winning business. He hired great people and built a team that literally crushed the opposition including IBM and all foreign competitors in that area. It is only now two decades later that people are (seriously) starting to consider alternatives such as Linux, and these still have a lot of catch up to do.

Still a great book and a great yarn. A must buy 5 stars.

Jack in Toronto

This book is required reading for anyone who is interested in:

1) Computers and software
2) Microsoft
3) Entrepreneurship

Hard Drive is as readable as a novel. The book covers the history of Bill Gates' rise to power with expert thoroughness. There are numerous insights into the man and company--not all of which are flattering.

If you have ever wondered how the current PC software market reached its current state, then you will find the answers within these pages. The authors portray the struggles between Microsoft, Lotus, IBM, and Apple from the technical, commercial, and human perspectives.

The book is also balanced in its handling of one of the business world's most controversial personalities. Gates admirers and detractors alike will find ammunition in Hard Drive.