Rs 11239254000 mansion situated near Lake Washington is most precious for Microsoft founder Bill Gates due to...
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world, is known for his charity and simplistic lifestyle, and has donated a major portion of his wealth to charitable causes. However, there is one property he cherishes more than anything– Xanadu 2.0, Bill Gates' lakefront mansion home on Lake Washington– which he refuses to sell or downsize under any circumstances. Here's why. Why Bill Gates cherishes Xanadu 2.0?
In multiple interviews, Bill Gates has revealed that he doesn't consider lakefront mansion as a just a house, but a private space full of old memories, technological innovations of that time and family heritage. The 69-year-old Microsoft co-founder says he feels a deep emotional connection to the house he spent years building, even though he is divorced and does not have any kids at home.
Gates revealed that he isn't the least bit interested in downsizing or renovating the Xanadu 2.0 mansion, and even upgrading its interiors, because of what the famous mansion means to him at a personal level.
The tech billionaire also revealed that his kids would often visit the lakefront mansion, making it a central family space. How much the Xanadu 2.0 worth?
According to details, Bill Gates purchased the property for $2 million in 1988, and spent about $63 million over seven years to transform the house into a technological and architectural marvel. Currently, the Xanadu 2.0 is estimated to be worth over $130 million.
The ultra luxurious estate, built on a hill, is spread over 66,000 square feet, and exemplifies Gates' lifestyle, values. and desire for privacy in a relaxed atmosphere surrounded by family and nature. The sprawling mansion features a swimming pool and a 2,500 square foot fitness center with a sauna, steam room and a 20-foot trampoline room.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Microsoft launches urgent probe into claims Azure is powering Israeli spy ops in Gaza: Full story in 5 points
Microsoft has launched an urgent investigation into claims that its Azure cloud platform is being used by Israel's Unit 8200 spy agency to conduct mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The enquiry follows a joint media report that has raised serious questions about the company's role in the ongoing conflict. Here are the key details, explained in five of mass surveillance using Microsoft AzureAccording to an investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, Israel's Unit 8200, the country's equivalent of the US National Security Agency, has allegedly used Microsoft's Azure cloud service to store intercepted phone calls from report claims the spy unit set up a custom, segregated area within Azure to handle this data, with the ability to record 'millions of calls per hour' across the Palestinian territories. This vast archive of conversations, the outlets said, was built as part of Israel's surveillance programme in Gaza and the West Bank. -Microsoft responds with an urgent probeMicrosoft confirmed that it has opened an external investigation into the allegations, calling the review 'urgent'. The inquiry is being led by lawyers from US law firm Covington & Burling. In a statement, Microsoft said: 'Using Azure for the storage of data files of phone calls obtained through broad or mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank would be prohibited by its terms of service.' The company added that it will 'share with the public the factual findings that result from' the review once it is completed.-A second investigation following earlier concernsThis is not the first time Microsoft has examined its links to Israel's military. In May, the company said it had already investigated claims that the Israeli army was using its cloud technology during strikes in Gaza. At the time, the company said it had 'found no evidence to date' that the Israel Defense Forces had violated its terms of service or used Azure 'to target or harm people' in a report by The Guardian has raised new concerns, with Microsoft conceding that the allegations are 'additional and precise' and merit another urgent review.-Growing internal pressure and employee dissentMicrosoft's latest investigation comes amid rising internal pressure. A campaign group inside the company, called No Azure for Apartheid, has accused Microsoft of 'complicity in genocide and apartheid'. The group is pushing the company to sever all ties with Israel's Guardian also reported that Microsoft executives in the US were alarmed by the possibility that Israel-based staff might have withheld information about how Unit 8200 used the Azure platform. Sources inside the company described leadership as 'scrambling' to assess what data the spy agency has stored.-Wider context of the Gaza conflictadvertisementThe allegations come against the backdrop of Israel's offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which the United Nations considers credible. The scale of the violence has sparked international condemnation and domestic dissent within joint report also raised fears that Unit 8200's use of Azure could go beyond surveillance and potentially feed into military targeting. While these claims remain unverified, they underline why Microsoft's leadership has treated the issue with urgency. - EndsTune InMust Watch
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Microsoft may ask employees to work from the office 3 days a week
Mumbai: US tech giant Microsoft is planning to tighten its office attendance policy, potentially implementing changes as early as January for some employees. The new policy will likely require employees to work in the office at least three days a week. The implementation dates for this policy differ across regions. Employees at the Redmond, Washington, headquarters will be required to work from the office more consistently starting in January, according to multiple media reports. Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw confirmed the company is considering updates to its flexible work policies, but no final decisions have been reached. The tech giant has planned to announce the new policy by September. Since late 2020, the tech major has implemented a flexible work policy, allowing employees to work remotely for nearly 50% of the time without permission, providing them with greater flexibility. Meta and Google have also implemented a three-day work-from-office policy. Certain Microsoft teams, including the Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) group, are working in the office more than three days a week. Other major tech companies have also recently proposed stricter work-from-office policies. Earlier this year, Microsoft's competitor, Amazon, enforced a work-from-office policy requiring employees to work in person five days a week. AT&T introduced a similar policy last year. Microsoft's head of cloud and AI, Scott Guthrie, however, had told employees during an internal meeting last September that the company would only reconsider its flexible work policy if there was a clear decline in productivity. The tech giant had recently been in the news for allegedly cutting off access to its data and services abruptly to the Russia-backed oil exploration and marketing company Nayara Energy, but later restored its services. In July, it also announced laying off 4% of its workforce, or around 9,000 employees, in yet another round of job cuts this year.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
7 hours ago
- Business Standard
Is GenAI causing a Manchester moment for IT services?
Generative AI's rise has drawn comparisons to India's 19th-century 'Manchester moment.' In the late 1700s, British industrialists like Richard Arkwright used water-powered spinning and weaving machines to revolutionise cloth production, displacing India's world-class handloom weavers. Today, India's IT services industry – built on labour arbitrage and contract coding – faces a similar test. Could GenAI and cloud automation make large portions of routine coding redundant, triggering a restructuring of a sector that has driven exports and built middle-class prosperity? Early signs of automation impact Evidence suggests the shift is underway. In 2023, Indian tech and IT-related firms cut around 240,000 jobs – 50 per cent more than in 2022. Entry-level roles such as research, testing, lead generation, and call-centre support are being automated, requiring far fewer people. Globally, AI adoption is also reshaping workforces – Meta cut 10,000 jobs in early 2024, Microsoft 15,000 this year alone. If India's software giants – whose bread-and-butter is application development and maintenance billed on a time-and-materials model – continue facing budget cuts from AI-enabled productivity gains, the traditional cost-arbitrage model may no longer provide a competitive moat. Hyperscalers take the high ground Meanwhile, global hyperscale cloud and AI leaders are investing heavily in next-gen infrastructure. OpenAI's Stargate Project will deploy $500 billion in US data centres and AI hardware over four years. Microsoft, Oracle, and others are committing tens of billions to AI server farms. These hyperscalers are vertically integrating hardware and software to own the AI stack – unlike Indian IT firms, which provide services on top of others' platforms. While hyperscalers shift from renting data centre space in India to owning the top of the value chain, Indian firms hold little in foundational IP or infrastructure. In contrast, even India's top CEOs have sometimes been chastised by public markets for trying to take minority stakes in AI start-ups (unlike Google or Microsoft executives, who routinely invest huge sums in pre-competitive AI research). Listed IT services majors face quarter-on-quarter pressure to show profit and revenue growth that dissuades long-term investments. Revenue and IP gaps The gap is stark in revenue per employee: Indian majors like TCS, Infosys, and HCL Tech average $50k–$60k annually, compared to $1.1 million for Microsoft and $1.9 million for Google. See table below: India's IT exporters also remain largely service-oriented rather than product-led. US tech leaders thrive on proprietary platforms – Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows – while India lacks homegrown equivalents. Without strong R&D, much of the value generated in software flows overseas. Structural workforce risks The industry's 'pyramid' hiring model – many junior engineers under a few senior architects – has kept margins healthy. But these vocationally trained, task-oriented roles are most vulnerable to automation. With engineering education still focused on rote coding, India lacks a nationwide push for advanced AI skills, leaving its workforce aligned to an outdated manual coding model. A shift toward product and IP A split is emerging between listed public IT service behemoths and a new generation of product-focused firms. While stock markets pressure service companies over slow growth and margin risks, private investors are backing SaaS and AI firms building their own IP. Zoho Corporation, for example, surpassed $1 billion in revenue in 2021 without venture capital, developing dozens of in-house software products. Similarly, Freshworks, Icertis, Postman, and Razorpay – part of India's 'centaur' SaaS cohort – are attracting billions in private equity and global cloud funding. The road ahead India's challenge is to bridge the two worlds: can capital and strategy shift toward R&D-led, product-centric models, or will markets remain fixated on quarterly service earnings? India has the building blocks – world-class engineers, a growing AI ambition, and government-corporate AI initiatives. But survival demands reinvention: Move up the value chain from coding to AI-enabled solution design Invest in proprietary platforms and intellectual property Retrain the workforce in advanced AI and computer science fundamentals The lesson from history is clear: clinging to labour-arbitrage and commodity services risks leaving India's IT sector flat-footed in an AI-dominated market. To thrive in the GenAI era, India must seize the opportunity to innovate – or risk watching the crown slip once again.
