Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood (#3)

John Wood's transition is complete and he has seen early success in obtaining funding. He plans to expand - Vietnam is next.

He recalls that during his Microsoft days he met a young boy named Vu in Vietnam. Vu was driven - committed to learning Microsoft Office (literally reading excel manuals and MS Access Manuals at a very young age). Vu worked nights in a local hotel to practice his English and so he would have time to read when the residents were sleeping. He slept for 4 to 5 hours during the day, and spent the remaining time in a computer lab learning Excel.

John struggles with a way to help this child who seems to be motivated to the extreme - and he finds it!

"It was in my power to create this opportunity.....I ripped a page out of the journal and grabbed a pen.

"Dear Nguyen Thai Vue:
As an employee of Microsoft, I have been financially empowered by Bill Gates to provide scholarship money for promising young students in Vietnam to learn computer science....

Best of luck to you. Please study hard, and please write to me with reports of your progress." (Page 104 - 105)

John included a $20 bill. To Vu this was life changing. He continued to stay in touch with John and "in the fall of 2005, Vu wrote me [John] to tell me that he had decided to pursue a graduate degree is software engineering at the Aptech school in Hue. The cost would run $650 per year. Could I help?

My author's advance against royalties for this book was immediately tapped into.... If you bought this book, you are now one of Vu's benefactors." (Page 108)

WOW - that was powerful when I was reading it. Through the account of meeting Vu, John can share with us his determination. It is amazing how some people are driven - unconditionally. I feel proud to "know" Vu through this book. He is inspiring.

John heads to Nepal and upon approaching a school he had helped build through is organization he recalls the following: "Each of these kids, and there not appeared to be several hundred of them crowding around us, would have the benefit of a better education. I have truly found my nirvana." (Page 111)

"By the fall of 2001, I was convinced that we were on the right growth trajectory. We opened our 100th library" (Page 128)

We all remember 9/11/2001 - and to John, who was in Europe at the time, nothing was more important than getting back into the US to be with his fellow Americans. An event planned months before 9/11 was scheduled on September 23rd, 2001. John was unsure of himself and did think about the event - and most importantly how people would respond in being asked to donate to educate and provide books to people outside the US.

John and many others at the event on the 23rd were not happy about President Bush's comments that in order to help the US economy, citizens should go shopping. John recalls a conversation he had on Sept 23rd, 2001:

After the Soviets had given up on expanding into Afghanistan, "the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia sponsored the opening of over ten thousand madrassas (schools) in Afghanistan. And you know the rest of the story, because we've been living it for the last two weeks..." (Page 131).

If you do not know about this fact - essentially, the schools that were created "trained" the young population to dislike the US. The fact is that the US military had assisted Afghanistan in holding off the Soviets - and when the Soviets retreated, the US picked up and left. This left a country in ruins looking for a "hero". The "hero" came in the way of "western hating" sects and groups. (Please note that I am summarizing the book here - this, although similar to my view, does not represent MY view on this situation).

John finds the principals he learned at Microsoft are valuable - especially those from his Mentor and Miscrosoft's #2 in charge, Steve Ballmer. It was essential to both Steve and the success of MS that they (1) know their numbers and (2) show loyalty, not only to the company but also to those around you.

Okay, on to the next 50!~