The story of Bill Gates’ final visit with Steve Jobs was told in Walter Isaacson’s biography of the Apple co-founder, but an ABC News interview airing on Nightline tonight lets Gates tell the story.
“He and I always enjoyed talking,” Gates says, recalling the conversation in the interview. “He would throw some things out, some stimulating things. We’d talk about the other companies that have come along. We talked about our families and how lucky we’d both been in terms of the women we married. It was a great, relaxed conversation.”
How did Jobs’ death affect him?
“Well, it’s very strange to have somebody who’s so vibrant and made such a huge difference, been kind of a constant presence, to have him die. Huge milestone, very sad not to have his talents helping out. Very sad for his kids, who I’ve gotten to know a little bit. Great kids. It makes you feel like, ‘Wow, we’re getting old.’ You look back and think about the great opportunities we had to make an impact.”
Does it give him a greater sense of urgency?
“I hope I still have quite a bit of time for the focus I have now, which is the philanthropic work. And there’s drugs we’re investing in now that won’t be out for 15 years — malaria eradication, I need a couple of decades here to fulfill that opportunity. I don’t think of myself as fading away, but it reminds you that you’ve got to pick important stuff, because you only have a limited time.”
The full interview covers a wide variety of topics, including Gates’ work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. See a preview here.
