By the late 1990s, Bill Gates had come more than a name — he was a symbol. To some, he was the personification of genius and invention. To others, he was the ruthless monopolist who crushed competition with perfection. Either way, there was no denying that Microsoft, under his grim drive, had reshaped how the world used computers. But power comes with weight. And by 1999, that weight had started to show. The U.S. government’s antitrust case against Microsoft was dragging on, the media painted Gates as both villain and visionary, and the formerly- delightful challenge of erecting great software had turned into an endless battle of politics, regulation, and commercial operation. For a man who’d erected his conglomerate on curiosity and control, this was exhausting. What