Buffett & Gates on Success

When Warren Buffett talks, people listen. When Bill Gates talks, the Dept. of Justice talks back. But last May, before the historic Microsoft anti-trust case got going in earnest, Warren and Bill (a couple of ordinary guys worth beaucoup billions each) informally planted their fannies on a table top and shot the business economics breeze before a live audience at the University of Washington in Seattle. Bottom line: Be happy, surround yourself with good people and be willing to take a few risks. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff, but as always the tale is in the telling, and it's just plain fun to watch these colossal capitalists talking about their eating habits (probably worse than the audience's, they admit) or sharing early career anecdotes (the young Gates wasn't old enough to rent a car when he first began doing business and therefore had to take taxis to meet customers). I especially liked Buffet's admission that he would occasionally take a gamble on a battered stock, which he termed the "used cigar butt approach" to investing: there's one puff left and it's almost free. Whether you're a first-year business student, a weekend investor, or simply someone looking for an enjoyable hour's worth of conversation, Buffett & Gates on Success is well worth the watch, especially at $19.95. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)