Quiet thoughts

```
Debt, economic decline, immigration; hippies, anti-government, freedom.
At the end of the 1980s, a wave of change encompassed a country boy from the Rust Belt.
As the gate for upward mobility was on the verge of closing, he struggled to move forward.
College, Silicon Valley, entrepreneurship; HP, Apple, Microsoft.
To become part of the 1%, or even 0.1%, he sacrificed a lot, but also gained a lot.
```

American History 1988

"Are you sure you heard gunshots, Steve?" Gates, who had been ready to go to sleep, had to get up from bed once more.


"Bill, I'm certain!" Steve was still visibly shaken, "It all happened right next to my ear!"


"OK, calm down, Steve, and tell me about the situation at that time." Gates reached for his glasses on the bedside and put them back on.


"Brian called me in the evening out of the blue, wanted to talk about the acquisition..."


Next, Steve gave an overview of what happened, including an unexpected knock on the door in the middle.


"I heard a loud bang, followed by Brian's cursing, and then intense gunfire.


Yes, I'm certain it was gunshots! They sounded just like what I've heard at the shooting range!"


Steve was terrified; as a Microsoft executive, he would never normally come into contact with firearms.


Nor would he ever hear gunshots; they lived in upscale communities, the domain of the wealthy.


Chapter 237 Going Public!