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Business @ the Speed of Thought: Succeeding in the Digital Economy Hardcover – March 1, 1999

by Bill Gates (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 326 ratings
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In his new book, Microsoft chairman and CEO Bill Gates discusses how technology can help run businesses better today and how it will transform the nature of business in the near future. Gates stresses the need for managers to view technology not as overhead but as a strategic asset, and offers detailed examples from Microsoft, GM, Dell, and many other successful companies. Companion Web site.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    496 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 1999
  5. Dimensions
    6.22 x 1.53 x 9.24 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0446525685
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0446525688
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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So where do you want to go tomorrow? That's the question Bill Gates tries to answer in Business @ the Speed of Thought. Gates offers a 12-step program for companies wanting to do business in the next millennium. The book's premise: Thanks to technology, the speed of business is accelerating at an ever-increasing rate, and to survive, it must develop an infrastructure--a "digital nervous system"--that allows for the unfettered movement of information inside a company. Gates writes that "The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition ... is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose."

The book is peppered with examples of companies that have already successfully engineered information networks to manage inventory, sales, and customer relationships better. The examples run from Coca-Cola's ability to download sales data from vending machines to Microsoft's own internal practices, such as its reliance on e-mail for company-wide communication and the conversion of most paper processes to digital ones (an assertion that seems somewhat at odds with the now-infamous "by hand on sheets of paper" method of tracking profits that was revealed during Microsoft's antitrust trial).

While Gates breaks no new ground--dozens of authors have been writing about competing on a digital playing field for some time, among them Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian in Information Rules and Patricia Seybold in Customers.com--businesses that want a wakeup call may find this book a ringer. With excerpts in Time magazine, a dedicated Web site, and an all-out media assault, Microsoft is working hard to push Business @ the Speed of Thought into the national dialogue, and for many it will be difficult to see the book as anything but a finely tuned marketing campaign for the forthcoming versions of Windows NT and MS Office. Nevertheless, as Gates has shown time and time again, him, Microsoft, and perhaps even this book you may ignore at your own peril. --Harry C. Edwards

From Booklist

There's a companion Web site , and the back cover carries the message that Gates is donating his share of proceeds to charity. See also Clark's Netscape Time, p.1450. Bonnie Smothers

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (March 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446525685
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446525688
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.57 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.22 x 1.53 x 9.24 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 326 ratings

About the author

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Bill Gates

Bill Gates

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Bill Gates is a technologist, business leader, and philanthropist. In 1975, he cofounded Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen; today he is cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also launched Breakthrough Energy, an effort to commercialize clean energy and other climate-related technologies.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
326 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Richard Jansen
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a blueprint for how to build a billion-dollar company
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a business strategy book, for business leaders. Bill Gates' value-per-hour is too high for idle commentary on tech trends; rather, he focuses on WHY those trends matter from the business leader's perspective, and HOW to get dominance in your industry with information flow as your competitive edge.

Bill Gates' focus in Business @ The Speed of Thought is teaching us how to build a "digital nervous system" -- a real-time and complete information flow. Gates is famous for valuing "information smarts," where the only statements allowed in a discussion are based on actionable facts; going-nowhere drivel has no place in Microsoft meetings, and now, at his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Here are Bill Gates' steps to building a digital nervous system, which is at the heart of the success of Microsoft and the Foundation:

1) Think hard and write down, What facts are actionable for my company?
2) What are questions to which the answers change my company's actions?
3) Build an information system that answers these questions.
4) If my current business information system does not answer these questions, build one that does.

The book in detail, always with data and examples to back each statement, goes into how to build this information system, and why. Each chapter ends with "Business Lessons" -- a summary of chapter key points -- and "Diagnosing Your Digital Nervous System" -- a set of questions for improving your information system. The "Diagnosing Your Digital Nervous System" questions alone are worth picking up the book.

I found the book dense with facts and examples (relevant at least as much now in 2013, if not more so, than when the book was written in 1998). I recommend you listen to the audiobook of Business @ The Speed of Thought to get through the content, and buy the hard copy, which is useful for referencing certain points, especially the diagnostic sections ending each chapter, and the appendix.

Don't pass up an opportunity to learn from someone who has achieved so much.
10 people found this helpful
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Graybeard
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2013
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This book's intended audience is managers who are interested in how computers and networks can improve business processes. This book is not a Microsoft infomercial. Instead, it poses questions for managers to think about. Here are some examples: (1) "Do you have the information flow that enables managers to get the data they need to make decisions?" (2) "Can employees get access to important data on a daily basis?" (3) "Make a list of the most actionable questions about your business. Does your information system have the data to answer them and the means to distribute it?" (4) "Do your systems let you work seamlessly with professionals such as lawyers and accountants who are 'outside' the corporate walls?" The book also offers helpful platform-agnostic insights. This is an intelligently and clearly written book. I included 25-30 quotations from it in my PowerPoint slide decks for undergraduate business and IT classes.
2 people found this helpful
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Debra A. Berry
4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this; so might you.
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2009
Verified Purchase
This book has been out for quite a while, so I was not expecting to hear any new developments in technology or commerce. I was expecting to hear Bill Gates' perspectives on business, so I got exactly what I was looking for. If I was looking for insights into the purely technological; then the Woz or Paul Allen would be my "go-to-guys". Bill Gates is just not the computer wizard that the Microsoft PR machine would have everybody believe. I've always believed that he is an extremely intelligent businessman, but far from being one of the greatest programmers. His strong suits are business and philanthropy; I appreciate all he has done in those areas.

If you're expecting any earth-shattering or even informative new developments, then you probably won't like this book. If you're interested in an overview of the basics or how companies have solved past problems, then I think this book is worth a look. I liked how examples ranging from McDonalds to Coca-Cola and from Boeing to Jiffy Lube were used to demonstrate how the same concepts can be applied to every kind of business. Some have wondered whether or not Chairman Bill used ghostwriters. It's possible because he did have people help with research, so it would not be surprising if people also helped him with writing. Either way, I enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.
2 people found this helpful
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Alex Yew
5.0 out of 5 stars Still a good read!
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
Good to understand the way to build businesses from the ground up and how to accelerate growth.
This may be a different century now from the time the book was written but still very relevant in today’s fast paced world.

“How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose.”
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Dwayne McClellan
5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewing Busness at the Speed of Thought
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book was great! It gives IT staff a window into how management works. This is a blueprint for the C-suite to fully intergrate the CIO and the IT team. IT isn't 21st blue/gray collar workforce. Business is has one mantra for IT : "IT must align to the needs of the business they serve." Here is a blueprint: using this book, the C-suite could implement a BYOT/BYOD polices and cloup computing with compromising control and security.

With the edition of tablet computing and mobile communication,and unified commuication ability theis book can be a guide to implement these new devices. The problem with tablets is how do you grow a wi-fi enviroment and make sure its secure.
a possible solution would be to use a disposable token system that would expire in a specified period of time
2 people found this helpful
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Ilya Grigorik
5.0 out of 5 stars Information velocity
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2007
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In fifteen months we will reach Bill Gates' proposed milestone (10 years) of an era where information velocity, and our ability to deal with it at 'The speed of thought' will make or break any business. The tech-bubble crash has certainly dampened the progress, but the book is nonetheless undeniably relevant - arguably even more so in today's fast-paced world. Companies such as Wal-Mart, Mark & Spencer, FedEx and many others are prime examples of lessons well learned. Don't be left in the dust, build your own digital nervous system before it is too late.
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Top reviews from other countries

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halley
5.0 out of 5 stars Profeta del nostro tempo.
Reviewed in Italy on February 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
A distanza di qualche anno dalla uscita di questo libro ,io come chiunque altro ,può constatare che la percentuale delle previsioni qui enunciate è praticamente del cento per cento. E questo la dice lunga sulla qualità del contenuto qui espresso. Molto belle anche le descrizioni delle strategie economiche dietro le quinte.
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achin kansal
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect read from a perfect Man
Reviewed in India on May 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
I have read this book in physical form about 15 yrs back and was totally amazed by the content and now I have switched to kindle books so purchased this as a part of my collection
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zdravko
5.0 out of 5 stars for every entrepreneurs and those who wants to became one
Reviewed in Germany on January 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
if you wanted to know from a first hand how to manage company in new modern times, when speed and quick action means or success or failure, get that book and learn great techniques, for example how to be competitive, how to investigate your new and existing marketplace, how to organize your company with fast information flow and much much more...
big thanks to Bill and his team for sharing this with us :)
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Sir CF
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential business building book
Reviewed in Singapore on November 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
Though it's written in 1999, explaining about rise of Internet but the concepts and advice are timeless. Must read and apply!
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Harry Smalls
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book and a great man
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great book and a great man, there's so much you can learn not only as a businessman but also as a person from reading his books.
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