$ cat ./records/before-melinda-gates-dated-software-pioneer-ann-winblad-1980.txt
Before Melinda, Gates dated software pioneer Ann Winblad
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Before marrying Melinda French, Bill Gates dated software entrepreneur and venture capitalist Ann Winblad, a relationship that evolved into an unusual, enduring friendship. The two reportedly continued an annual long-weekend retreat together — with Melinda's awareness — to discuss technology and big ideas, an arrangement Gates spoke about openly. Winblad, a pioneering woman in software and venture capital, was an intellectual peer whose influence Gates publicly acknowledged.
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Related Accomplishments
1990s
Gates keeps a collection of rare and classic cars
Despite his reputation for frugality in some areas, Bill Gates has long indulged a passion for cars, assembling a collection that has included several Porsches — among them the 911 he has owned for decades and the storied 959 — as well as other classics. His automotive tastes, and the saga of importing the then-illegal 959, are among the more colorful footnotes of his personal life.
1990s
Gates retreats for solitary, twice-yearly 'Think Weeks'
For years Bill Gates retreated twice a year to a secluded cabin for a solitary 'Think Week,' during which he read stacks of papers, books, and employee proposals with no interruptions, emerging with strategic memos that shaped Microsoft's direction. The ritual became famous as a model of deep, focused thinking by a busy executive, and was credited with helping spark major pivots — including Microsoft's embrace of the internet. Gates carried the habit of voracious, deliberate reading into his philanthropy.
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