Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates on Wednesday said he wished he were not the world's richest man.
"I wish I wasn't. There is nothing good that comes out of that," said Gates, whose personal fortune has sunk by billions since last week when the software giant disappointed investors by saying new investments would crimp earnings.
The corporate leader who made Microsoft into the world's largest software maker - and who is also one of the biggest philanthropists -- is seen as a man who does not like publicity. He explained that he did not like the attention of being the world's richest.
"You get more visibility as a result of it," he said during an interview conducted by CNBC reporter Donny Deutsch in front of a crowd of people attending a Microsoft advertising event.
The Microsoft co-founder said that the person he learned most from in the world, aside from technology colleagues, was fellow-billionaire and legendary investor Warren Buffett.
"He has this very refreshing, simple way of looking at things so I put him top of the list," said Gates, adding that the top lesson from Buffett was the importance of integrity.
Still, Gates joked about his plight being unequalled in wealth. Asked if he surrounded himself with financial peers, he quipped, "No, I sit alone."
{{/usCountry}}Still, Gates joked about his plight being unequalled in wealth. Asked if he surrounded himself with financial peers, he quipped, "No, I sit alone."
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