Bill Gates would re-establish Microsoft as an AI-centric company if he had the chance
What you need to know
- In a recent interview with CNBC, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates hinted that he would relaunch the company as an AI-centric company to compete with OpenAI, Google and others.
- Gates admits that it is difficult to succeed in AI compared to the software industry, so finding a niche with little competition is paramount.
- He also criticized AI startups and their practices: “Oh, it’s so stupid how these things work.”
As you may know, it’s been years since Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates left the company to focus on philanthropy, but he’s reportedly still closely involved in the tech giant’s affairs and his advice is treated like “gospel.” Speaking to CNBC earlier this week, Gates shared some interesting insights about how he would rebuild Microsoft from scratch if he could serve in the corporate world again.
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According to Bill Gates:
“Today, someone could raise billions of dollars for a new AI company that consists of just a few sketches of ideas.”
The billionaire hinted that if he could build Microsoft from the ground up, he would jump on the AI bandwagon to establish Microsoft as an AI-centric startup and compete with the major players in the AI landscape like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others. Gates further hinted that if he got enough capital, he would try to build a rival AI company to compete with the major players in the AI game.
However, the billionaire revealed that unlike most emerging AI startups, he would try to identify a niche Where AI could be usefulThis would provide the company with unlimited growth opportunities with little competition. Gates expresses similar sentiments in his upcoming Netflix docuseries “What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates,” which is scheduled to premiere on September 18:
“To really stand out as a small business, you have to come up with something unique.”
Interestingly, the billionaire admits that it would be impossible for his fictional startup to achieve Microsoft’s success in this category. However, he claims that AI will be transformative enough for emerging tech startups to explore the landscape and find their niche.
Gates took the opportunity to recount his impressive success while in charge at Microsoft, admitting that his blatant push to bring PCs into every home and ability to recruit engineers to develop software contributed to the tech giant’s success.
Gates admits that his belief in software put him in a unique position that contributed to Microsoft’s huge success in the category – Windows continues to dominate desktop market share. However, the billionaire doesn’t think that would work with AI. “Simply believing in AI is not very unique. So I would have to develop a unique view of how to design AI systems – something other people don’t have,” the billionaire added.
Finally, Gates admits that it’s difficult to find a clear path to success in AI. He stated that if he could go back to his early twenties as an entrepreneur, he hoped his brain would be able to recognize a pattern in how AI startups work and say, “Oh, the way these things work is so stupid.”
Gates is aware of the difficulty: If he were a 20-year-old entrepreneur again, he would have to hope that his “young brain” would recognize something about the way other companies handle AI and say, “Oh, the way these things work is so stupid.” Gates encourages young people to continue exploring the relatively new terrain, while also calling it a “frontier.”
A clear path to success in AI is blurry at best
The AI landscape has changed dramatically in recent months, with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang noting that we are on the cusp of the next phase of AI, with robotics and self-driving cars taking center stage.
However, Microsoft recently came under fire from investors following its earnings call. Investors questioned Microsoft’s exorbitant spending on low-return AI projects and further claimed that it was difficult to find a clear path to success.
At the same time, OpenAI is reportedly on the verge of bankruptcy within the next 12 months, with projected losses of $5 billion. Microsoft, NVIDIA and Apple will reportedly join another round of funding for the ChatGPT maker to ensure its survival and boost its market valuation to well over $150 billion.
This comes against the backdrop of reports that 30% of all AI projects will be abandoned after proof of concept by 2025.
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