Technology and Society

Bill Gates talked about the influence of technology on society and business and described the experience of starting his company. He compared computers to the printing press and the telephone, saying that it took more than a generation for the latter two to be accepted, while the acceptance time for computers has been compressed. He pointed out that computers are not just business machines, but are used for almost all other areas of life, including political campaigning on the Internet. A web site for automobile buying was demonstrated. He described the future of computer technology and showed a video of his researchers talking about their projects. Following his prepared remarks, he responded to questions and comments from members of the audience. close