Bill Gates Interview with Ellen for the First Time
Transcription with Timestamping
[00:00:00] Ellen: I'm so happy to have you here. This is the first time having you on so thanks. So I know you were you were nervous about the entrance you thought I think people feel like they're supposed to dance. And so. And I was really surprised because I was here earlier today for your rehearsal, and then you abandoned it. But we should at least show them the rehearsal because it was really good people.
[00:00:50] Ellen: Your daughter's looking at you like I've never seen you dance like that. Hi. So the last time we saw each other, it was at the White House, we both were receiving the Medal of Freedom. And that was quite a day, wasn't it?
[00:01:02] Bill Gates: It was amazing group.
[00:01:03] Ellen: Yeah. Really, really fun. So you are here with your daughter who is 21. Right. And you were 21 when you became a billionaire? Is that right? Almost. All right. So around that age, you weren't you were like the youngest person to become a billionaire. Is that right?
[00:01:20] Bill Gates: For you? Yeah. In terms of my own earning it on my own?
[00:01:25] Ellen: Yeah, right. Okay. So what's the most important thing? Yeah. So did you when you were a kid, did you? Did you care about money, or you just cared about technology. And that's just happened.
[00:01:36] Bill Gates: Mostly, I love software. I do remember the private school I went to there were other kids whose families were better off. Like they had a Porsche or something. But it wasn't that that big of a deal. My thing was that I just love doing software. I love hiring people. And I was stunned when it ended up being so valuable.
[00:01:54] Ellen: Really? It surprised you.
[00:01:57] Bill Gates: Yeah. Because I always had to be careful that we weren't hiring too many people. I was always worried because people who worked for me were older than me. And they had kids. And I always thought, well, what if we don't get paid? Will I be able to meet the payroll? So I was always very conservative about the finances. And then when we did go public, was I 30. By then, then, I was kind of stunned at what multiplied out to
[00:02:25] Ellen: Right. So when you became a billionaire, at what point did you start relaxing? Were you still nervous when he became a billionaire? Like, I got to watch this?
[00:02:35] Bill Gates: Well, I always wanted to have enough money in the bank. So that even if our customers didn't pay us for a year, we could still keep paying everybody and do the read. So I still be viewed as conservative. You know, there, I don't have that many things that are extravagant tastes so didn't change too much.
[00:02:54] Ellen: So nothing really changed. You didn't say, Oh, I'm going to buy a Porsche.
[00:02:57] Bill Gates: I did. Yeah, that was that was an indulgence. And then eventually, for my travel, I got a plane, which was a huge indulgence. So those are my two.
[00:03:09] Ellen: Well, not really, because you travel all the time. So that's important, too, that you have a plane. So you have a portion of plane and that's it.
[00:03:16] Bill Gates: Well, in terms of crazy things.
[00:03:19] Ellen: There's not like any like wild like you didn't build like an aquarium with sharks in it or something like that.
[00:03:24] Bill Gates: We have a trampoline room in our house. Oh, wow. The kids like that indoor trampoline. I recommend.
[00:03:31] Ellen: Just one giant trampoline.
[00:03:33] Bill Gates: Yeah. It's a room with a very high ceiling.
[00:03:36] Ellen: That would, that would be cool. If you didn't put a high ceiling and go on kids. Alright, so let's talk about this. So you have you already put $40 million of your own money into your foundation? 40 billion. And you've I think, kind of encouraged other billionaires to do this as well, because it really is kind of up to the people to fix the problems in the world, it seems right. So what is your main focus right now?
[00:04:09] Bill Gates: My wife, Belinda. And I picked global health as our big thing. The fact that still have 5 million kids who die under the age of five. Now it was over 10 million when we got started. So there's been huge progress over the last 18 years. So things like malaria, diarrhea, coming up with new drugs and vaccines and getting them out all the kids in the world. That's our main thing. Our second biggest thing is all in the US, which is trying to help improve the education system here.
[00:04:39] Ellen: Yeah, that which needs boy, right? I mean, and how do you do that? I always think you get what you pay for. So if you don't pay teachers, because most teachers are paying out of their own pocket to take care of these students. So how do you do that?
[00:04:57] Bill Gates: Well, there's some really phenomenal T teachers. And so the dream is that you could take that top 10% and have them help the others to get best practices, the best teaching ideas to spread all over the country?
[00:05:11] Ellen: And how would you know we're listening to you? Obviously $40 billion, does a lot. And there are other people that are helping, but how, what can what can we do? What is the best thing that you could say that just one person can do to help?
[00:05:26] Bill Gates: Well, particularly with schools, the ability to go to the local public school or charter school and engage with the kids mentor kids? Talk about the kind of work you do. There's huge opportunities there. With the challenges saying Africa, part of its people's voice, there's a real question now when the US sort of takes this less than 1% of our budget that saves 10s of millions of lives. Some other we don't prioritize continuing that. So it's a hot debate, you know, in terms of is it good for America to be generous and, and help the rest of the world live a healthy life?
[00:06:05] Ellen: Well, I mean, the fact that you're helping so many people all around the world that you have this because that to me is what money when you have that kind of money it's for it's like, that's the best thing you can do is actually you're making such a huge difference. So I'm glad you're a billionaire. All right. You can learn more about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the website, and it gates letter.com
