‘So what if he’s Bill Gates?’: Indian executive recalls winning an argument against the Microsoft founder, says he wasn’t in a good mood

“Bill Gates once wrote me a note saying: ‘I was wrong.’” @rvenk

That’s Ravi Venkatesan — former Chairman of Microsoft India, Board member at Infosys, Hitachi & Bank of Baroda, Founder of GAME & GEAPP, and one of India’s most original thinkers on leadership and impact.

In this… pic.twitter.com/iUBFpDO1qX

— Shrishti Sahu 🚀 (@shrishtie) September 8, 2025

Late at night, at 11.30, the three of them were on the aircraft awaiting clearance to take off when a minor disagreement broke out between Venkatesan and Gates. “Bill was not in a good mood and we got into some argument. The argument in hindsight was really silly, but Bill doesn’t like losing an argument,” Venkatesan said.

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While most people might have backed down, Venkatesan chose not to. “This time I said, ‘So what if he’s Bill Gates?’ and I also didn’t let go because I was also tired,” he admitted. The debate went back and forth until Gates finally conceded. “At some point he said, ‘Well, I guess you’re right.’ And he became quiet,” Venkatesan recalled.

It was then that Melinda Gates handed her husband a $1 bill, asking, “Bill, what do you do?” In a surprising gesture, Bill Gates wrote on the note, “I was wrong, Bill Gates,” and gave it to Venkatesan.

Today, Venkatesan has the signed bill carefully framed and jokingly refers to it as his retirement plan, a quirky memento from a moment when he bested one of the world’s most formidable minds.