Melinda French Gates

I loved the fast-paced nature of it.

I'm very competitive, even when I play games with my kids or at home.

I love that competitive, that we knew we were creating new products.

I joined back in 1987.

There were only...

You know, there were like 1,800 employees.

It was tiny still.

We knew we were changing the world.

And I loved all of that and that creativity and being around smart people.

So I learned that I like to work in that type of environment.

But I also learned that I didn't like that sort of rough and tumble, elbow each other, be the smartest person in the room, the boys' debate club.

And so...

As I moved up, because there weren't many women there, and I was a good manager.

I had managed people in high school and in college and in business school.

As I moved up the ranks, I realized I no longer wanted to play that game.

I would leave work, and at the end of the day, I'd go to the grocery store, and I just wasn't a very nice person anymore.

And I thought, that's not who I want to be.

And so I thought, I'll leave.

I'll go get another job.

But maybe before I do that,