Chandrababu Naidu recalls how his 10-minute meeting with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates turned into over half an hour chat

Chandrababu Naidu has taken the oath as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth time. Naidu, who first became the CM of the state in 1995, is known to have played a key role in developing Hyderabad into an IT hub, including establishing a Microsoft’s office in the city in 1998. In one of his previous public meetings, he recalled his meeting with Bill Gates despite the Microsoft co-founder’s busy schedule.
During the AP AgTech Summit in 2017, Naidu recalled how he managed to get an appointment with Bill Gates.
“Gates was in New Delhi on some work. I contacted the officials of the United States for an appointment. They told me that he was very busy, and that if I was keen I could attend a cocktail party in the evening,” he said.
The meeting was supposed to last 10 minutes but it stretched for 40 minutes, and in that time, the CM convinced Gates to set up an office in Hyderabad.
“Not only Microsoft opened its development centre in Hyderabad but Satya Nadella who is from our place became Microsoft CEO,” Naidu added.

What Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said

Gates then purportedly told him that whenever Microsoft wished to open their centre outside of the US, they would consider Naidu’s request. Naidu made a presentation through a laptop then and “was the first Indian politician to do so.”
“I was told that there is someone who believes in digital technology even more than you do. It was hard to believe but when we met, he had his digital equipment – computer – and he had the vision to make the government better by using advanced tools,” Gates said while sharing the details.
Hyderabad has developed into a major Indian centre for pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and information technology since the 1990s. The establishment of special economic zones like Hardware Park and HITEC City, focused on information technology, has attracted leading multinational companies to set up operations in Hyderabad.