At Cambridge, Bill Gates makes bold statement against neckties |
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At Cambridge, Bill Gates makes bold statement against neckties
Credit: Cambridge News Online
A few years ago, Bill Gates made headlines for declaring the floppy disk dead. Did he just do the same to the necktie?
The Seattle native raised eyebrows yesterday when he showed up sans tie to receive an honorary degree at Cambridge University graduation in England. The Microsoft co-founder's open collar was enough of a shocker to the locals that it was mentioned in an Associated Press photo caption and dominated the first two paragraphs of the UK Press Association's report from the scene:
US billionaire Bill Gates broke with tradition when he collected an honorary degree at Cambridge University in an open-necked shirt. ... Mr Gates, 53, chairman of Microsoft, decided not to wear a tie as he took part in a procession into the university's Senate House as temperatures approached 21 degrees C.
That translates into less than 70 F, which I take to be a funny barb from the news service, not-so-subtly pointing out that it wasn't exactly the heat forcing Gates to shed the tie.
This video from Cambridge News Online is also funny to watch, showing a parade of men in ceremonial gowns and ties -- followed by Gates in his buttoned-down, open-collared white shirt.
OK, so the truth is, they don't like neckties much in Redmond. Sure, Gates and Ballmer wear them at the occasional public appearance, or annual meeting, but they're far more likely to pick the Pacific Northwest tech executive's standard slacks and open-collared shirt.
Many people will see this as a fashion faux pas by a bumbling American billionaire, but let's recognize it for what it really is: Bill Gates taking a stand on behalf of necktie-loathing geeks everywhere.
About Todd Bishop
Todd Bishop is co-founder and managing editor of TechFlash. He has covered Microsoft and the technology industry for more than five years, most recently as a daily newspaper reporter and blogger based in Seattle.
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