Gates talks of hi-tech 'golden age'

Bill Gates urged students to pursue careers in computers and technology during a speech in Richardson Auditorium on Friday, painting a picture of a future in which software enables people to communicate and collaborate at the speed of thought.

"This is the golden age of computers and software coming together and becoming a far more powerful tool to empower people: empower them in their work and empower them in their playtime," Gates said. "There are great dreams about what software can do."

Gates, the founder, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp. and the richest person in the world, spoke on campus as part of a six-college tour intended to ignite interest in the computer sciences and highlight technology's potential to improve the lives of people around the world.

Tickets for the event were distributed through an online lottery. Seating was limited to 800, though 2,286 members of the campus community entered the lottery, University spokesperson Cass Cliatt '96 said.

In an interview with The Daily Princetonian prior to his talk (see 'A Conversation'), Gates lamented the fact that computer science enrollment in the United States is on the decline.

"It's ironic that at the time when there are lots and lots of jobs for these people — lots of exciting work, well-paying work — that the field isn't growing the way one might expect," he said.

Noting that Microsoft, the company he founded with childhood friend Paul Allen, is celebrating its 30-year anniversary, Gates reminded students that the business has always depended on a constant influx of young minds passionate about technology's potential.

"Microsoft is older than you are and yet the vision that got Microsoft going all those years ago is the same one driving us today," he said during his speech.

That vision is of a world with six billion computers where the fabric of the work and home experience is drastically different than today's, he said.

President Tilghman introduced Gates and commended him for his technological achievements as well as his philanthropic activity. Gates and his wife Melinda have donated more than $27 billion to support initiatives in the areas of global health and education.

"We welcome not only an outstanding software architect and engineer but also someone who ... is striving to make the world a better place for everyone," she said.

Gates, dressed in charcoal slacks and a beige shirt, stood in front of a giant display screen as he spoke to the audience about how far computer technology has come and how far it still has to go.

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"TV, as we know it today, will change," he said, envisioning news broadcasts where viewers can choose not only which subjects or issues are presented but also the depth of coverage given to each topic.

Gates also incorporated television into his presentation, beginning the talk with a video featuring orange-and-black clad Princeton graduates extolling their current jobs at Microsoft.

Another video showed Gates helping Jon Heder's Napoleon Dynamite character upgrade the technology at his family's company and ended with the computer pioneer joining Napoleon in his trademark dance.

Gates also enlivened his presentation by offering a glimpse of the next generation of technology. Trying out a racing game called "Project Gotham Racing 3" for the soon-to-be released Xbox 360, Gates at first couldn't get his Porsche to move forward and then repeatedly ran it into barricades on the sides of the street.

After his talk, Gates fielded numerous questions from the audience on topics ranging from his thoughts on intellectual property to his decision to drop out of Harvard to whether he wanted to play Halo 2 with a student later in the day.

At the event's close, Gates was presented with the second-annual Crystal Tiger Award, a prize bestowed on behalf of undergraduates to honor an individual who has improved society and affected their lives. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell received the inaugural award in February 2004.

Thomas Voute '06, a member of the award selection committee, praised Gates for being a driving force in many important issues and for embodying Princeton's motto of service to the nation and world.

"Though you are widely respected and hailed around the world, Mr. Gates, it is in particular our generation of students who identify with and admire you," Voute said. "Throughout the last two decades we have witnessed firsthand the major advances in technology that altered every aspect of our lives."