Job interviews aren’t usually fun—unless you’re Bill Gates and Steph Curry‘s the one asking the questions.
Back in 2020, with the world mid-pandemic and Zoom calls the norm, the NBA superstar sat down virtually with the Microsoft co-founder for an episode of his YouTube series “State of Inspiration.” But instead of talking basketball or philanthropy, Curry flipped the script: What if Gates had to interview for an entry-level engineering job at Microsoft—as a young college dropout?
Yes, really. One of the wealthiest men on Earth agreed to field classic job interview questions. It was equal parts surreal and practical, especially for anyone who’s ever sweated through a “Why should we hire you?” moment.
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So what did Gates say?
When asked why he should be hired, Gates leaned on what you’d expect: code. “You should look at the code that I’ve written. You know, I’m kind of crazy, I write software programs way beyond any classes that I’ve taken, and think I’ve gotten better over time,” he said. Not exactly your average undergrad’s resume pitch — but it’s hard to argue with the guy who helped build Microsoft.
On strengths and weaknesses, Gates admitted he wouldn’t be the right fit for marketing or sales but doubled down on his passion for product creation. “Product definition, product creation — very strong. If you have a team that understands the customers, the sales, the marketing, I’m not going to bring that, but I would enjoy working with them,” he explained.
But the most interesting moment came when Curry tossed out one of the trickiest questions in any interview: What are your salary expectations?
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Gates didn’t flinch. “I hope the option package is good. You know, I’m able to take risk and I think the company has a great future. So I’d prefer to get stock options even more than cash compensation,” Gates replied. He added, “I hear some other companies are paying a lot but treat me fairly and emphasize the options.”
It was a textbook “Gates-ism”: thoughtful, forward-looking, and — when you consider his own trajectory — incredibly revealing. After all, this is the man who built his fortune not on a paycheck, but on equity. A salary can pay the bills, sure. But stock options, especially when you’re betting on a company’s future like Bill Gates did with Microsoft, are how billionaires are made.
For Curry’s audience, many of whom were college students preparing to enter a shaky job market, it was a subtle but powerful lesson. Negotiating isn’t always about chasing the biggest paycheck on day one. Sometimes, it’s about recognizing long-term upside and aligning yourself with growth.
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Of course, Gates’s advice came with a level of privilege most applicants don’t have — not everyone can afford to take less cash in exchange for a riskier equity package. Still, the principle stands: think about the future, not just the now.
Other tidbits from the Q&A highlighted Gates’s mix of self-awareness and ambition. He admitted he could be “a little harsh” when critiquing someone else’s code, but stressed his love of teamwork and big goals. He spoke about anticipating the future, about being ambitious, about wanting to be “involved” in shaping where things were going.
Ultimately, what made the exchange so engaging wasn’t just the novelty of seeing Bill Gates mock-interviewed by an NBA star. It was the reminder that the toughest questions — “Why should we hire you?” or “What salary do you expect?” — don’t go away, no matter who you are. Gates’s answers weren’t just clever; they were grounded in a philosophy that built one of the biggest companies in the world.
So the next time you’re sitting across from a hiring manager, nervously fidgeting before answering that salary question, remember Gates’s response. You don’t have to be Bill Gates to see the wisdom in it: think beyond the paycheck, and look toward the future.
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