Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: A & E Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 4, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0767014316
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,456 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Bill Gates, at the age of 42 has established himself as one of the titans of American business in the 20th Century. His company, Microsoft, now controls 95% of the world’s operating systems for personal computers which has made Gates the richest man in the world with an estimated personal worth of more than 50 billion dollars. In May of 1998, the Justice Department and 20 states filed an anti-trust suit against Microsoft. Bill Gates has had to turn much of his attention to the accusations made against Microsoft but he continues to turn out his products to satisfied customers who keep coming back. He is also exploring new uses of software in the entertainment industry and CD ROM markets and promises to expand his interests in television beyond his cable venture MSNBC. In September of 1998, he will face a new round of hearings but his impact on the computer industry, as well as the global economy is indelibly etched in our history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The emphasis on the personal side of Gates, February 23, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Biography: Bill Gates - Sultan of Software [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Without a doubt, Bill Gates will go down in history as one of the most influential people of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In this tape, he is rightfully compared to industry titans such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford and John Rockefeller. Each of these people led an industry that was essential to the development of the American economy. Certainly, computing should also be included in this category.
Although some of the events in the life of Microsoft are covered, the majority of the minutes are devoted to the personal life of Bill Gates. He was born into a wealthy family where competition was an essential activity, and it is clear that this is where he acquired his intensely competitive nature. It is hardly a surprise that Trey, which was his nickname, was at times difficult to handle. While he was fortunate in that he was able to work with computers at an early age, it is unreasonable to call him lucky. Clearly, even as a child he exhibited extraordinary vision, something that he retains as he reaches middle age. This is the primary reason why Gates was able to achieve much of his success. All indications are that he is a devoted family man as well. He is shown with his wife and child and there is no question that he is a doting dad.
While all this is interesting on the human level, that is not why we are interested in biographies of Gates. Our interest in him is due to his leadership of Microsoft, a company both admired and reviled. Nearly everyone in industrialized countries is affected by the decisions made by the Microsoft leadership, so we are interested in his business activity and how those decisions are made. This is where the tape is the weakest, as we do not learn enough about the professional side of Gates.
However, overall the tape is worth viewing. We are all the consequences of our childhood and so, to understand Gates and what he is, we start by looking at how he was raised. To out-compete someone, you need to learn about their personal characteristics and from this tape, you can learn some of the fundamentals of the richest person in the world.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Informative Viewing, January 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Biography: Bill Gates - Sultan of Software [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video contains most everything one needs to know to have a basic understanding of the Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates. It chronicles his entire life to the date of filming. My favorite part was the heartfelt interviews with the father of the genius. What Bill Gates has accomplished with his life, is pretty amazing for a man still fairly young. The big question that looms over most of the philanthropic world, is what is Bill Gates going to do with the rest of his life? Possible answers to that question are addressed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Inspirational, January 6, 2002

By 

J. Thomas Dyess (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Biography: Bill Gates - Sultan of Software [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I thought this was a very inspirational riches to extreme riches book on Bill Gates. Interviews from everyone except Bill Gates on Gates and Microsoft; from the beginning to the present release date. There were a lot of traditional Microsoft euphemisms, but good nonetheless.