Despite his busy work schedule, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates used his meetings with Warren Buffett as an escape from work pressure, a new book, written by New York Times correspondent Anupreeta Das, revealed. In her book, titled 'Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and his Quest to Shape the World', Ms Das wrote that every moment of the 68-year-old billionaire’s workday was meticulously planned. His schedule, even down to his free time, was broken down into five-minute increments. But despite his demanding work schedule of back-to-back meetings, there were days when Mr Gates visited Mr Buffet to escape his responsibilities.
According to Business Insider, Ms Das in her book wrote that Mr Gates would take his private jet to Omaha just to visit Mr Buffett and get away from a “tightly scheduled life, including personal time, largely organised and arranged by” his then-wife Melinda French Gates.
"When Buffett asked Gates why he couldn't control his life and live it in a way he wanted to, Gates would simply shrug. 'Bill likes to have a schedule; I don't,' Buffett said in an email," Ms Das wrote.
The author also revealed that Mr Buffet, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, would even pick Mr Gates up from the airport sometimes, and the pair would have "freewheeling conversations". And when Mr Gates couldn't make it to Omaha, they'd play bridge together online, the book said.
Mr Buffett resigned from the Gates Foundation in 2021 and since then their friendship has cooled over the years. In May, the 68-year-old praised Mr Buffett's more relaxed approach to scheduling.
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"It took far too long for me to realize that you don't have to fill every second of your schedule to be successful," Mr Gates wrote in a Threads post. "In hindsight, it's a lesson I could have learned a lot sooner had I taken more peeks at Warren Buffett's intentionally light calendar," he added.
Notably, the friendship between the two began in 1991, when Bill Gates' mother, Mary Gates, invited him to spend the Fourth of July at their family retreat, the New York Times reported. Among the guests was Mr Buffett, whom Mr Gates initially dismissed as just a “stockbroker”. However, once, they sat down, they connected instantly. This marked the beginning of their friendship that has lasted decades despite their very different personalities.