Bill Gates is mainly focused on his foundation today rather than tech companies. However, about a year ago, he made an exception for his daughter in a way that hardly anyone expected.
What is Bill Gates doing in a startup? His youngest daughter, Phoebe Gates, founded the startup Phia with her former Stanford classmate Sophia Kianni. The app along with the Chrome extension searches over 40,000 online shops for the best prices, highlights secondhand options, and showcases more sustainable alternatives. Some media humorously describe it as a kind of “Booking for fashion”.
About a year ago, Bill Gates announced on LinkedIn that he would help out in Phia’s customer service for a day. This was not entirely selfless; the post generated significant attention for his daughter’s young startup, and this PR effect was likely more important in the end than the handful of customer conversations he actually had that day.
A lesson for all bosses
What did he write about it? In response to his daughter’s question of whether he would take a shift in customer service, there was only one right answer, Gates wrote, namely yes. With a wink, he added that he hoped he wouldn’t break anything, though he couldn’t promise that.
However, Gates also used the post to convey a message that goes beyond his own family: The best way to understand how something works or where it is lacking is to speak directly with the people who use it.
What lesson should other bosses draw from this? Essentially, Gates urges founders and leaders not to just engage with their own product from a bird’s-eye view, but to regularly seek real customer contact.
Not without a camera present, mind you, because this action was primarily staged publicly through the LinkedIn post itself, not on the actual workday in support.
What do you think about Bill Gates’ action of actively helping his daughter with her startup? Feel free to share it with us in the comments. Did you know that Bill Gates was one of the first game developers ever? 44 years ago, Bill Gates developed a video game in a single night to secure a huge deal
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