Skip to content

Bill Gates – Call for innovation

At the Microsoft Research Faculty Summit in Redmond, Wash., Bill Gates challenged the audience to create solutions that will “change the way things are done.” Some of the items that he identified as the key areas of innovation were: – Terascale computing – Wireless mesh networking (low cost d2d auto

Phil McKinney
Phil McKinney
— 1 min read
Public Service Announcement

At the Microsoft Research Faculty Summit in Redmond, Wash., Bill Gates challenged the audience to create solutions that will “change the way things are done.” Some of the items that he identified as the key areas of innovation were:
– Terascale computing
– Wireless mesh networking (low cost d2d autonomous networking)
– New form factors of devices (mobile phones)
– Social computing
– Personal databases (automatic roaming)
– Software development (tools of the past have not kept pace with the complexity of software)
– Machine learning
What items would add to your own list? For me, areas of innovation/design that I believe will have a significant impact (in addition to the list above), include:
– Pervasive computing (autonomous modular computing systems – everywhere)
– Rich media (eye/ear candy will be a key catalyst of innovation)
– Radical simplicity (design/innovation methodologies that deliver elegant solutions that are “user usable”)
What would you add to the list?
Bill Gate's Video

BlogBill Gatescall for innovation

Phil McKinney Twitter

Phil McKinney is an innovator, podcaster, author, and speaker. He is the retired CTO of HP. Phil's book, Beyond The Obvious, shares his expertise and lessons learned on innovation and creativity.


Related Posts

Never Forget: 25 Years Remembering Charles Falkenberg and His Family

First written September 11, 2008. Updated for the 25th anniversary, September 11, 2026.

Charles Falkenberg and his famly

How To Think for Yourself When Everyone Disagrees With You

When neuroscientists scanned the brains of people going along with a group, they expected to find lying. What they found instead was something far stranger. The group wasn't changing people's answers. It was changing what they actually saw. We'll get to that study in

The Innovators Studio podcast cover art: How To Think for Yourself When Everyone Disagrees With You

How to Make Better Decisions Under Pressure

"We need an answer by the end of the day." Ten words. And the moment you hear them, something shifts inside your chest. Your pulse ticks up. Your focus narrows. Careful thinking stops. The clock starts. You probably haven't even asked the most important question yet.

The Innovators Studio podcast cover art: How to Make Better Decisions Under Pressure