Bill Gates Offered A TV Interviewer A Blank Check?

There’s a story trending around about Bill Gates and offer he made to a TV interviewer some several years ago. In relevance to the account by Sylvain Saurel on Medium, the conversation begin like this:

TV interviewer some several years ago. In relevance to the account by Sylvain Saurel on Medium, the conversation begin like this:

One of the journalist asked: “Mr. Gates, what is the secret of your success?”

Instead of giving the answer, Gates handed over a blank check to the interviewerand. He told her to write, any amount she wants to. The journalist refused to the offer, and then she again repeated her question. Gates, again gave her the blank check and told the same, to write whatever amount she wanted. Then again, she refused. She even tore up the check.

After that Gates finally answered her question. “The secret of my success is that I do not miss any opportunities like you just did,” he reportedly said. “If you had that philosophy, you could have become the richest journalist in the world today.”

Saurel, a self-professed bitcoin entrepreneur, had the right takeaway. As a business person you should seize every opportunity, right? “You will only be successful if you are able to take the immediate and massive actions required when golden opportunities arise,” he writes. “So, if one day a billionaire gives you a blank check and asks you to write the amount of your choice on it, do not waste time with unnecessary questions and take action immediately.”

He’s wasn’t alone in this opinion. In a Reddit conversation a few years ago, many people discussing the alleged incident agreed. “I write down $40 million and cash the check,” wrote by one. “Fill in $25 billion, deposit and decide how to spend it,” wrote by another.

In Reddit conversation: “Ask him what the catch is,” he (or she) wrote. “I don’t want to suddenly find I’ve signed up to assassinate the Woz or something!”

The reference to Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is extreme. But the user who has been deleted for some major reason. I hope it has nothing to do with Steve Wozniak. He made a valid point for any small business owner that’s offered a seeming sweetheart deal. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The customer who promises to pay double is not going to do that. In the same way, the salesperson who promises to close that deal next month will neither do that. However, Bill Gates wasn’t going to give you a blank check. No one will offer you a blank check. Buisness, and life, doesn’t work that way.

So, when you run a business for more than two years. People sometimes disobey the rules, break the truth. So, nothing is as good as it looks. Thus, you should grasp evey opportunity you get. But consider its merits and demerits. If you’re searching for money falling from the sky, then just go to Vegas or buy a lottery ticket. Otherwise, know the reality that when something sounds good to be true, it usually is.