Chandrababu Naidu recalls how his 10-minute meeting with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates turned into over half an hour chat

Chandrababu Naidu has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth time. Naidu, who first assumed the role in 1995, is renowned for his pivotal role in transforming Hyderabad into an IT hub, including the establishment of the Microsoft office in the city in the year 1998.
During one of his previous public meetings, he reminisced about his meeting with Bill Gates, despite the Microsoft co-founder’s demanding schedule.
At the AP AgTech Summit back in 2017, the chief minister recalled how he managed to get an appointment with Bill Gates.
“Gates was in New Delhi on some work. I contacted the officials of the United States for an appointment. They told me that he was very busy, and that if I was keen I could attend a cocktail party in the evening,” he said.
The meeting was supposed to last 10 minutes but it stretched for 40 minutes, and in that time, the CM convinced Gates to set up an office in Hyderabad.
“Not only Microsoft opened its development centre in Hyderabad but Satya Nadella who is from our place became Microsoft CEO,” Naidu added.

Gates then purportedly told him that whenever Microsoft wished to open their centre outside of the US, they would consider Naidu’s request. Naidu made a presentation through a laptop then and "was the first Indian politician to do so.”

“I was told that there is someone who believes in digital technology even more than you do. It was hard to believe but when we met, he had his digital equipment – computer – and he had the vision to make the government better by using advanced tools," Gates said while sharing the details.
Hyderabad has developed into a major Indian centre for pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and information technology since the 1990s. The establishment of special economic zones like Hardware Park and HITEC City, focused on information technology, has attracted leading multinational companies to set up operations in Hyderabad.