In 1987, Fortune found only four tech billionaires: Bill Gates, David Packard, Bill Hewlett, and Ross Perot. Gates was the only one still running his business!
Olsen of Digital Equipment would have been another but he sold 77% of his stock for $70k in the 50s (worth $5bn by 87).
Olsen of Digital Equipment would have been another but he sold 77% of his stock for $70k in the 50s (worth $5bn by 87).
Gates: "The company is a high-tech stock, and high tech stocks are volatile. The price is not a reflection of the contribution we're making."
Ben Rosen, VC who invested in Lotus and Compaq:
"It seems like the three companies grew very rapidly, but they really didn't at first. Hewlett and Packard, and Gates didn't have to sell their shares to raise capital, so they wound up owning a lot of their companies."
"It seems like the three companies grew very rapidly, but they really didn't at first. Hewlett and Packard, and Gates didn't have to sell their shares to raise capital, so they wound up owning a lot of their companies."
Perot: "When I was getting started, if anybody had offered me money for my EDS stock, he would have gotten it in a minute. But everyone thought I had such a rotten idea, I couldn't sell my stock."
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