Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#1

Post by justplay » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:22 PM UTC

Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit
reddit.com

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#2

Post by Splendor » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:38 PM UTC

I'm glad to see him doing another AMA. His AMA last year was one of the better ones I've read.

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#3

Post by CmonDev » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:42 PM UTC

There are always thousands of questions by the time you get there. Do his assistants check everyone of them and summarize?

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#4

Post by kyle_t » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:46 PM UTC

I am curious what Bill Gates (or anyone who doesn't necessarily have an immediate profit making venture to promote i.e an actor) hopes to achieve with an AMA?

I can't imagine they are very much fun after the first dozen questions. Promoting philanthropy to a wider audience? Bringing the spotlight on a specific cause?

Its awesome that someone as busy and important as Bill Gates is willing to take the time to do this whatever his reasons, I'm just wondering the reason why?

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#5

Post by jedberg » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:46 PM UTC

CmonDev wrote: post #3

There are always thousands of questions by the time you get there. Do his assistants check everyone of them and summarize?

I've done an AMA that was pretty popular, it's not that hard to keep up actually.

You start with the top voted comment, reply, go to the next, etc. Then you reload the page and do it again.

It helps if you have gold because then you can highlight the stuff that is new since you last loaded the page, which helps you find the questions faster.

The trick for the user is to have a good enough question to get it voted to the top.

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#6

Post by Aoyagi » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:46 PM UTC

Not having a Reddit account, this makes me want to create one and ask Gates if he's going to protect us from the power of the cloud. By "us" I mean "people who don't really trust the cloud".

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#7

Post by jedberg » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:48 PM UTC

kyle_t wrote: post #4

I am curious what Bill Gates (or anyone who doesn't necessarily have an immediate profit making venture to promote i.e an actor) hopes to achieve with an AMA? I can't imagine they are very much fun after the first dozen questions. Promoting philanthropy to a wider audience? Bringing the spotlight on a specific cause? Its awesome that someone as busy and important as Bill Gates is willing to take the time to do this w…

I always enjoyed doing it to share my thoughts with the community, since they seemed interested. It's kinda like, why do you talk to people at parties when you have no immediate profit making venture to push? Because it's fun.

It's also a great way to stay connected with your base, even for someone like Bill, who is still trying to accomplish things that are easier with broad support.

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#8

Post by jedberg » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:49 PM UTC

Aoyagi wrote: post #6

Not having a Reddit account, this makes me want to create one and ask Gates if he's going to protect us from the power of the cloud . By "us" I mean "people who don't really trust the cloud".

It takes like 2 seconds to make one. You don't even have to give them an email address! :)

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#9

Post by throwaway_yy2Di » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:49 PM UTC

Is this his library in the background?

http://i.imgur.com/iqvPs7N.jpg

edit: Apparently so, and here's his reading recommendations from 2013 (w/ same library in background):

http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Personal/Best-Books-2013

and more:

http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Books <- lots of reviews here

Re: Bill Gates: AMA on Reddit

#10

Post by frik » Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 5:50 PM UTC

He added an link to a Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZnmpDrjtDc

Interesting art style and that his assistants choose an old-school method to animate the movie. That gives the "information at your fingertip" a new meaning ;)