Even artificial intelligence wants to learn from Bill Gates.
When the Microsoft co-founder sat down for an interview with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month, the two answered questions generated by AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
The bot asked Gates about the best advice he’s ever received and how it’s affected his own life. In response, the 67-year-old pulled out some words from his longtime friend and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett on the subject of friendship.
“Speaking of Warren Buffett [how]in the end, it’s how your friend really thinks of you and how strong that friendship is [that matters],” Gates said.
Gates and Buffett have been friends for more than three decades. Their shared interests extend beyond their wealth: The couple founded The Giving Pledge, which encourages the world’s richest people to donate at least half of their wealth to charitable causes, and are sometimes bridge and golf partners.
Gates has previously discussed the lessons he learned from Buffett, 92, from investing to time management. He consistently puts Buffett’s advice on friendship at the top of his list.
“I have learned many things from Warren over the past 25 years, but the most important thing is friendship,” Gates wrote in a 2016 blog post.
“Even with his busy schedule, Warren still finds time to nurture friendships like few others I know,” Gates added. “He picks up the phone and calls to say hello. He regularly sends me articles he’s reading that he thinks … I’ll find interesting.”
Buffett often talks about the importance of choosing good friends, and being good friends. That means surrounding yourself “with people who are better than you,” so you can learn from and be inspired by them, he said in a 2017 talk with Gates at Columbia University. “You will move in the direction of the person you associate with.”
Gates agreed: “Some friends bring out the best in you, so it’s better to invest in those friends.”
Strong and meaningful friendships can be essential to career success, including providing self-confidence and mental resilience, research shows. Maintaining good friendships throughout your life also makes you happier and less stressed, improving your health and well-being, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Gates and Buffett have a combined net worth of $ 220 billion, Bloomberg estimates, but they seem to agree that the happiness that comes from lasting friendship is a true sign of success.
“When you get to my age, you will determine your success in life by how many people you want to love actually love you,” Buffett said in a 2001 speech at the University of Georgia.
“I know people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners and hospital wings named after them,” he continued. “But the truth is, no one in the world loves him. If you get to my age and no one thinks you’re good, I don’t care how big your bank account is – your life is a disaster. how do you live.”
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