RSS Feed

« Frustrating Celebration A Design for Working »
March 3, 2005

3:47 pm | 0 recommendations | 9 comments

Yes, Sir... Gates?

| posted by Heath Row

FC Now reader Kelleen Stine-Cheyne just emailed to ask why no one from the Fast Company team has commented on Bill Gates' recent knighting. To tell the truth, I read the news this morning and am still slightly stunned by disbelief. Gates is a knight? In Britain? Why?

Today is a banner day for Bill. Not only is he now a knight, but a US Federal Appeals Court recently overturned a $520 million ruling against Microsoft. A lower court will retry the patent infringement case. With Microsoft spending $6 billion annually on R&D, that amount seems like chump change, but you gotta admit:

Being knighted and possibly recovering $520 million in one single news day warrants a pat on the back.

Tags: Work/Life, news + current events
Report Content
Sign in or register to comment.

Recent Comments | 9 Total

March 3, 2005 at 4:04pm

dunkpost
Don't you have to be british to be knighted?
Report Content

March 3, 2005 at 4:15pm

Kelleen
I was stunned too. It seems like they're handing out this honor more and more often. It's losing some of its luster. From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3428673.stm: "As an American citizen he cannot use the title "Sir" but will be entitled to put the letters KBE after his name."
Report Content

March 3, 2005 at 5:54pm

Bruce DeBoer
Good for Bill. Yawn. I suppose I'd have to be closer to his stratosphere to care all that much. I'm just a regular American Dude trying to make his way - tell me about something that effects my life. BTW - what side do you wear the sword when you're a knight? Left ir right?
Report Content

March 3, 2005 at 6:57pm

Paul
Technically he's not actually a Knight and doesn't get to call himself Sir Bill. You have to be a British citizen for that, his actual title is some honorary thing that I'm too lazy to look up.
Report Content

March 3, 2005 at 9:47pm

Gaspar
He is a Knight already for peoples who is touch by his philanthropy activity. I hope he will helping others more and more through Gates Foundation.
Report Content

March 4, 2005 at 6:08am

Joseph Parker
An America beign dubbed a knight in Britain is not a common thing... a big pat on your back Bill!!!
Report Content

March 4, 2005 at 10:36pm

Pat Morris
Since finding out more about Bill Gates I really admire the man.
Report Content

March 5, 2005 at 7:54am

Bill Wiley
I am more impressed with his philanthropic activity than his being knighted; but might one have something to do with the other? But, in order to be balanced about the whole deal, I do think Microsoft has managed to create a sloppy product and maintain by sheer size a monopoly that even the U.S. court system has difficulty addressing. But doesn't our court system have it's problems with just about everything of consequence?
Report Content

March 7, 2005 at 4:42am

Jerry
Honours like the knighthood are good value for money for the British. They provide incentives for low paid civil servants to plug away through the years, in the hope of picking up a trinket to show the grandchildren, and they cost very little to bestow on those in favour with the government (usually donors to the leading political party). Microsoft recently gave the British government a massive discount on Windows and Office software - is this connected? You'd have to be a real cynic to think that a $4.00 trinket and a photo with the Queen helped to ink the deal, but you might not be all wrong.
Report Content

Special Editions?