When I graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in education and computer programming, I was invited to interview with Microsoft in Redmond, WA. I interviewed with members of the MS Word and Encarta development teams. Each of the developers that interviewed me posed interesting programming challenges and asked me to sketch proposed algorithms on white boards in their office. During the course of each interview I also mentioned that my long-term interest was developing educational software and perhaps Microsoft would be interested in that market. Finally, one of the programmers told me that Bill Gates is not interested in educational software. I ended up not getting a job at Microsoft.
I have no idea whether that programmer is still at Microsoft, but how times have changed. The Wall Street Journal was invited to visit with Bill Gates on one of his twice-annual Think Weeks. Gates secludes himself in an undisclosed retreat location for one week to focus on the future directions of technology and Microsoft’s strategic positioning. In his most recent Think Week, Gates read roughly 100 papers in eight topic areas. One of those topic areas was education. Gates read a paper by Craig Bartholomew, the general manager of the education group, in which Bartholomew discusses recommendations for how Microsoft’s core products can better address the education market. Apparently, the paper was well received and Bartholomew reports that, “People in my group are optimistic now.”
Given Gates’ active interest in education policy both through the Gates Foundation and through his public comments about the state of education (e.g. National Governors summit on high school reform), it is clear that Gates has taken a keen interest in improving education. It will be interesting to see what Microsoft’s education technology strategy will be.
Guth, R. A. (2005, March 28). “In secret hideaway, Bill Gates ponders Microsoft’s future,” Wall Street Journal, A1.
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