Bill Gates has learned many things over the years from Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) CEO Warren Buffett.
One bit of advice stands out above all the others, the Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder said.
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"Gates and Buffett have been friends for more than three decades," CNBC wrote on March 19. "Their shared interests go beyond their wealth: The pair co-founded The Giving Pledge, which encourages the world’s wealthiest people to donate at least half of their wealth to charitable causes, and are occasional bridge and golf partners."
The topic of friendship came up in an interview conducted by an artificial intelligence bot on 10 Downing Street's YouTube channel with Gates and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Feb. 20.
"What's the most important piece of advice you've ever received and how has it influenced your career and approach to life?" the AI bot asked.
"I've had great advice," Gates said. "Warren Buffett talked about, you know, in the end, it's how friends really think of you, and how strong those friendships are." Gates said.
Sunak talked about some advice he had received as well.
"For me, one of the best quotes someone gave me when I started out, was, 'It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice,'" Sunak said. "And I thought that was a nice way to think about your life. And it doesn't mean you should be soft, doesn't mean you can't take tough decisions and be firm, but I think it means treating people with decency and kindness and empathy."
Gates' comments provide some new light on some words about his friendship with Buffett that he wrote in a 2016 blog post.
If Warren has time for a call, it's the highlight of my week. I’m constantly learning things from him. Warren and I love to talk about companies, politics, world events, and new innovations. And it’s really exciting to have somebody who's studying these things with a bit of a different background. He’s got that economic investor’s eye and I have much more of a technologist’s eye towards things.
As trustee of our foundation, Warren is an amazing thought partner to Melinda and me. When faced with a challenge, we often ask ourselves, “What would Warren do?” It usually leads us to the best answer. Warren and I are mostly peers, but sometimes he is so much wiser than I am, he’s like a father figure to me.
