Gates Projects ‘Nice Guy’ Image
Meet the friendlier, funnier Bill Gates.
Following a rash of criticism that he’ll stop at nothing to crush rivals, the powerful Microsoft Corp. chairman painted himself as someone far less brutal Sunday night: a regular Joe who likes a few good knee-slappers.
There was Gates, the opening speaker at the five-day Comdex computer show, working the crowd of thousands with gags, video clips and self-deprecating humor that had everyone laughing.
It was a very different Gates than the man portrayed at last week’s anti-Microsoft rally by Ralph Nader, the consumer activist who forced General Motors Corp. to stop making the Corvair more than two decades ago. There’s also a pending Justice Department lawsuit that accuses Microsoft of abusing its monopoly in operating software to stifle competition.
The jokes were intended to show the importance of the personal computer and Internet. Taking a cue from CBS comedian Dave Letterman, Gates listed his “Top 10 Reasons Why I Love my PC.”
Reason No. 5: “In just one weekend I can sit at my PC, collaborate with attorneys all over the world, comment on a 48-page legal brief and e-mail it to the Department of Justice.”
Reason No. 1: “I can use Microsoft CarPoint (online car ads) to show Ralph Nader my Corvair collection.”
Gates used video clips on two giant overhead screens to perform an outrageous parody of his tendency to repeat jargon. Excerpts from different industry speeches were combined to make Gates seem ridiculous, as he repeated the same dense words and phrases, including “scalability,” “manageability” and “NC stands for Not Compatible.”
And while the federal government attacks Microsoft on one front, the company enlisted the U.S. Marines for a little help.
As the Marines’ anthem blared, an officer dressed in full uniform marched on stage to show how Windows software has helped make mobile computers an essential piece of battlefield equipment.
“I wouldn’t characterize it as Marine proof,” the officer said, throwing a laptop on the floor and stomping on it to illustrate its rugged outer shell. “But it’s clearly Marine resistant.”