More Conversation: Bill Gates on Facebook

Given the arc of what you have seen in the business, what would you say today to Mark Zuckerberg? What would you say today to Steven Jobs about what's ahead? Well, Steve Jobs is older than I am. And actually, a few months, right? Microsoft was started a number of years before Apple Computer, because we were actually the first doing software. Zuckerberg's interesting, because he was actually at Harvard when I went and gave a speech encouraging people to think about technology. And when I was going, he was actually an attendee. And now he's doing neat things. But entrepreneurs cut their own path. A lot of why you're contributing is because you've taken a different view, a contrary view, pursued something that the traditional people didn't. Paul Allen and I saw the personal computer. We saw that software was really the key thing. And software is only at the beginning of what it can do. I see Mark all the time. He can ask me whatever he wants. I see Steve not as much. But they've made their unique contribution. And I wouldn't presume to know the answer. Are the privacy problems solved? Technology always comes with problems. Bad people use computers to organize, to invade privacy, to steal money. There's never a situation where the computer is a pure blessing. Do kids spend too much time on Facebook? Sometimes. Do those social organization things allow for some neat things to happen, for you to see these global causes and global needs? Absolutely. And they'll fight with that one. It's not a fatal thing. They'll bounce around and listen. It's super that they're getting the feedback.