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Stephen Curry interviewed Bill Gates as if he were a junior engineer applying for a job at Microsoft. Here is his pitch.

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Any job hunter needs advice on how to nail an interview — especially now.

The Golden State Warriors shooter Stephen Curry asked the billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates for advice on answering job-interview questions during a wider conversation that also included COVID-19 and unemployment.

Gates took part in the first episode of Curry's new interview series, "State of Inspiration," and kicked off the call by playing the job-seeker role during a video interview.



Curry interviewed Gates as if he were a junior engineer applying for a job at Microsoft in 2020.

Gates is the second-wealthiest person, with a net wealth of $122 billion. Microsoft's market cap is $1.6 trillion. Gates cofounded Microsoft with Paul Allen but stepped down from Microsoft's board in March to focus on his philanthropy.

Here's what Curry asked Gates:

You're applying to be a junior engineer at Microsoft. Why should we hire you?

"You should look at the code that I've written; you know, I'm kind of crazy. I write software programs way beyond any classes that I've taken, and I think I've gotten better over time. So take a look at how ambitious I've been there," Gates said.

Gates and Allen famously coauthored the programming language Microsoft Basic.

"I do think I can work well with people," Gates added. "I might criticize their code a little harshly, but overall I like to be on a team. I like ambitious goals. I like thinking through how we can anticipate the future software. It's cool and I want to be involved."

How would you define your strengths and your weaknesses? And how can you incorporate those if you had to work in a team? 

"Well, I'm not somebody who knows a lot about marketing, you know. I wouldn't enjoy being a salesman," Gates said.

"For a position where you're actually creating the products and thinking through what those features should be, I'm fascinated by that," he added. "I followed the history of the industry, read about the mistakes that have been made — so product definition, product creation, very strong.

"If you have a team that understands the customers, the sales the marketing, I'm not going to bring that, but I would enjoy working with them."

In the current environment, there's a lot of uncertainty about the future in many sectors, but we want to value the talent that we have on our team and make sure that they're appreciated. What would be your salary expectations for this job?

"I hope the option package is good, and I'm able to take risks," Gates said. "And I think the company has a great future, so I'd prefer to get stock options, even more than cash compensation. I hear some other companies are paying a lot but treat me fairly and emphasize the options."

This is probably a smart tactic — Gates has his wealth partly because he remains a major shareholder in Microsoft, with an estimated 100 million shares worth $21 billion at the time of writing.

Watch the full interview:



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Zoobla Financial Insurance Brokerage

Servicing Ontario
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Office : (905) 836-4185
Toll Free : +1 (866) 226-3140
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