Don't be fooled by the title of this eye-opening look behind the moats and facades of Microsoft and Silicon Valley. "The Plot to Get Bill Gates" does not reveal a well-oiled, secret conspiracy to bring down the World's Richest Man, the supergeek routinely hailed as a great business hero and denounced as the Satan, Darth Vader, or Adolf Hitler of software.
Instead, Gary Rivlin's $14 paperback from Three Rivers Press deftly portrays a sprawling, disorganized, "hate Gates" industry that operates 24/7 from virtually every corner of the planet.
Fact of life: When you are King of the Hill, you attract many enemies. According to Rivlin, people constantly obsess about ways to knock Mr. Bill off his perch, grab his markets, and take his money. They're especially interested in the fortune that even Gates concedes is "infinite."
The book rounds up--and stingingly profiles--some of the usual anti-Bill suspects, such as Oracle's Larry Ellison and Sun Microsystems' Scott McNealy. A few other digital stars with smaller bank accounts and fewer toys also come under scrutiny. And Rivlin, an award-winning nonfiction writer, dissects the quirky social politics that shape life inside Microsoft and Silicon Valley. It's a world where Bill Gates spends $21 million on an airplane so he can travel in greater comfort, and one of his competitors goes shopping for a MiG fighter, for its oneupmanship and "get Gates" symbolism.
"At its core," writes Rivlin, "the plot to get Bill Gates is a tale of king-sized obsession among one-dimensional workaholics who'll do practically anything to win. At best, it is harmless hero worship, obscuring a far more interesting story residing between the lines. At its worst, it's another example of a culture so obsessed with fortune and fame that those starring in a cautionary tale are instead cast as role models."
A public-relations manager quoted in the book puts it more succinctly. "Some very wealthy little boys are fighting each other, and the rest of us are just their minions."
The author illuminates a few dark corners of the "plot," including the pitiful souls who beseech Gates for handouts and loans, and the dangerous schemers who try to extort cash by physically threatening the Maximum Leader and his family.
Luminaries such as Attorney General Janet Reno, Green Party 2000 presidential candidate Ralph Nader, and former Novell CEO Ray Noodra, to name just a few of the 200 people that Rivlin interviewed, also have cameos.
First published in 1999, "The Plot to Get Bill Gates" has been updated with a new afterword that examines Microsoft's antitrust battles and lobbying efforts, plus Gates's changing role in the company and his increased focus on family and charity. The book is a fascinating and sometimes depressing study of how great product possibilities can be hobbled by overblown egos and efforts to "get" a competitor rather than get--and keep--customers.
