Chapter 41: The End of the 80s (1)
Bill Gates coming to meet me wasn’t some coincidence or butterfly effect. It was historical inevitability.
In 1988, Microsoft was in full gear, pushing hard to expand into Asia. Sure, they’re still a giant dominating the software world even now, but back then, they didn’t have much of a name in Korea, which is why Gates himself came here.
And the reason why he—no, why he came to my company? It’s pretty simple.
Right now, due to heavy regulations, Microsoft couldn’t set up a branch in Korea on its own. They had to find a local software company to partner with.
It wasn’t something I planned. I was honestly shocked when I heard that Bill Gates was coming all the way to my tiny company. I couldn’t believe someone of his caliber would come here.
In my past life, by the time I was making a name for myself, he’d already retired and was off doing charity work... I was just really curious.
Why my company?
“Why this place, huh...? Well, I sensed a refined touch in the software. At first glance, it looks a bit rough, but I could see a vision at least twenty years ahead. Very impressive.”
‘Well, yeah, because it was twenty years ahead...’
“Hmm, we’ve got a lot of young people at our company. It’s an honor to hear that from you, Mr. Gates.”
Dressed up for the first time in ages, Song Hyun-jae was sweating from nerves but still managed to talk smoothly. I sat quietly next to them, listening.
After all, I was just an outsider here.