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the view
from cairo
Speedy
Bill
The world's
richest man was recently in Cairo. Find out all about his trip...
by Tarek
Atia
It may be because Bill Gates is so
omnipresent in our lives -- does "Resuming Windows" sound familiar? --
that his actual physical presence is, for lack of a better term, littler than
life. The money -- all $40 billion or so -- could never really glamorise the
nerd who made it; with his pudding-basin haircut and bland clothes and glasses
he still plays the part, albeit with a lot of self-confidence.
 Wherever
he goes the reception belies his techno-geek appearance. He gets mobbed like a
movie star. Which is, of course, what happened in Cairo recently. At
one of the cocktail receptions he attended older, otherwise distinguished women
were all a-flutter wanting to take their pictures with him.
The world's richest man was in town for
24 hours to speak at several major Microsoft events. In that brief span he met
President Hosni Mubarak and networked with thousands of top officials and
business leaders. He did not visit the Pyramids or other major sights -- he was
saving those for a future visit, with his wife Melinda.
He did, however, deliver a keynote
address to a conference that brought together 3,800 of the region's top software
developers. Karim Ramadan, Microsoft Egypt's general manager, said the sheer
number of events that had been programmed for Gates during his brief Cairo jaunt
stunned the company's Chief Software Architect. But for "Bill",
speaking to developers is "what he likes most".
Gates told them that software development
would be the key dynamic of the next decade as the industry heads for
"seamless computing", with a myriad of devices connected via the right
software.
He said Microsoft was spending its $6.8
billion research and development budget entirely on software; some of that was
going towards developing the kinds of operating systems that would revolutionise
the way we use computers and other devices. Gates described a world of total PC
and phone collaboration, where you could not only see the person you are talking
to or working with, but have access to their computer screen as well. He
outlined other tools that will eliminate distance and boost communication, all
of which, he argued, can help places like Egypt participate more fruitfully in
the global economy.
"Countries and businesses that seize
these opportunities will be at the front. The Middle East will be a particular
beneficiary of stronger global networks and increased connectivity." Ever
the salesman, Gates' ultimate pitch was "we are here to help you achieve
your vision."
That idea was being played out as a
mutually beneficial proposition. For Gates the visit was a massive marketing
opportunity that will probably generate much business and expand Microsoft's
global reach. For Egypt it was a chance to be touched by glory. "Bill Gates
chose Egypt, and only Egypt, of all the Middle Eastern countries, for his first
visit to the region," was the endlessly repeated mantra.
"A lot of people ask what is he
going to do for us? But just by coming," Telecom Egypt President Akil
Beshir said, "he will have made an impact. He has opened up a strong
communications channel with Egypt." Beshir was one of those Bill had asked
to meet. As head of Egypt's largest telecom operation there was a lot of
potential business to talk about.
Gates also had a private chat with IT
Minister Ahmed Nazeef about Egypt's potential for taking on larger amounts of
outsourced IT work from abroad. Speaking to the Middle East Developers
conference before Bill came on, Nazeef said Egyptian developers had "self
confidence and ambition", but were lacking in the ability to market their
work. Much to the audience's surprise, rather than stand behind the podium,
Nazeef used a wireless microphone, roving around the stage as he said the
minimum salary for a developer in the US is $60,000 a year. "How much do
you work for?"
Basically, the minister seemed to be
saying two things: Egypt can sell its services cheaply and Egyptian developers
stand to make good money doing so.
Asked during a Business Leaders Forum
roundtable to compare Arab countries' chances at replicating India's success
with outsourcing, Gates said that "with a good education infrastructure
there's no reason why other countries can't get the same opportunities."
Which is hardly reassuring for Egypt given current rates of illiteracy.
It's best to be realistic, said Medhat
Khalil, chairman of Raya Holding, one of Egypt's largest IT firms. "We
cannot compete with India. They have 1.2 billion people, with 300 million who
know English. We don't have those numbers. However, India exports $10 billion or
more in IT services and products annually. If we do $500 million in business we
would be doing a great service to the national economy."
Egypt is one of many places hoping that
Bill will help propel them into the global club. The day before coming to Cairo
Gates was asked by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for Microsoft's help in
developing Pakistan's IT economy.
It was clear in the way he worked the
room after one of the Cairo forums that Gates enjoys this dynamic. Although he's
expanding his global empire, it probably stopped being about money long ago.
Controlling how fast the world hurtles into the future is what Bill is all
about.
PREVIOUS VIEW FROM CAIRO
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Hussein
alal Howaa
A look at Ramadan's most popular show.
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