It seems people have forgotten how hated Bill Gates was in the 90s.
Gates was a businessman. He created great products, no one doubts that, but he also made many unpopular decisions , even facing antitrust lawsuits over the way he ran his company. He was the richest man in the world, which shows that a lot of money can buy, but love cannot.
Later, Gates " retired " and worked to ensure that society's image of him remained positive until his death. The way he made his fortune wouldn't work, so his ex-wife had a good idea.
They created the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , and Bill retired from running the business.
From his point of view, Microsoft would operate independently, and he would focus on its foundation.
In particular, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has set itself some rather ambitious humanitarian goals, such as immunizing millions and millions of children against diseases that would otherwise be preventable in the developing world.
A softer image of himself. It suits him very well.
Today, nobody remembers Bill Gates from the 1990s. People know him as one of the richest men in the world, but also for his great humanitarian and philanthropic work around the globe.
Perhaps it's selfishness and a desire not to be forgotten, or perhaps there's a nobler motivation guiding him. Who knows? In any case, the world is doing well because of what he did.
Jeff Bezos? That's a little different.
Instead, he is at a different stage of his life.
He continues to build his empire, but doesn't seem to have reached the point where he worries about his self-image.
Like Gates and many others, he will probably eventually care.
It could be ten years from now. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never, but it's likely we'll see Bezos hand over the reins of leadership to someone else as he turns to another goal, a philanthropic vision.
I can't wait to see what it could be.