Bill Gates is in London today to meet with Gordon Brown, and while he's here there are a few other things in his diary. I've just come back from a speech he made at the Institute of Directors, which was followed by a discussion.
The speech was essentially a re-run of what he spoke about during his CES keynote (which was itself a re-run of the previous year) but without Slash playing guitar.
The audience didn't seem to be that interested in Microsoft as a business, but more in Big Bill's increasing role as a philanthropist, activist and influencer. The discussion even turned to political ambitions when a member of the audience, Andrew Main Wilson, asked whether Bill would ever run for the Senate or even (ooh!) the US presidency.
His answer was pretty unequivocal.
"I'm certainly not going to do it," he said. "I do work with politicians ... I enjoy doing that ... but my role is being full-time with the Foundation."
"There's a lot of reform and improvement that, by being off on the side and working with governments and development agencies and filling our unique role, I think that's the highest impact. But running for an election, worrying about the next election? I don't think I'll get into that."
It's a question that geeks throw out there from time to time, and given the current news agenda it's understandable that it arises - but frankly every time I hear it, the question seems increasingly bizarre. OK, so business billionaire Michael Bloomberg is mayor of New York (and there are long-running rumours that he could run as an independent presidential candidate) but anyone who has spent any time following Gates will realise how unlikely it is that he could acquire the charisma or easiness of manner to carry any sort of political career.
Doesn't the mere suggestion prove how insulated the biz-geek bubble can be from the real world?
