The queen dubbeth William Gates, Knight

[Faithless]

Oh, for heaven sakes.

Bill Gates to be awarded knighthood by the Q of E (http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/26/technology/gates_knight/)
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates will be awarded an honorary knighthood by Britain's Queen Elizabeth for an outstanding contribution to enterprise, officials said Monday.

Gates, the world's wealthiest man, will receive the award from the queen at Buckingham Palace, but no date has been set.

"(Gates) is one of the most important business leaders of his age," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said in a statement.

"Microsoft technology has transformed business practices and his company has had a profound impact on the British economy," Straw added.

Gates will be made a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, an honor that dates back to 1917.

But only British and Commonwealth citizens winning the honor are entitled to add Sir in front of their names.

Non-British citizens also don't have to travel to Buckingham palace to pick up their awards, they can pick them up in British embassies, according to Reuters.

Other business personalities awarded knighthood include IBM Chairman Lou Gerstner, oil tycoon John Paul Getty, Texas Instruments co-founder Cecil Green and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Reuters reported.

Other people from outside the business world who have had the honor bestowed on them include film director Steven Spielberg, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani and retired general and Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark, according to nationmaster.com.

Thou hast been infor-med.

[TB4000]

Well, if he's being knighted for churning out merchandise that needs to be updated against pimple faced hackers every other week, operating systems that seem to be obsolete as soon as they're released, and having an almost Soprano-like stronghold on the IT industry, then by all means, knight the sucker.

[Faithless]

Thou mocketh the Lord of the Blue Screen of Death?

Sir Gates receiveth his award admidst European antitrust unhappyness:

Gates will be gallant without formal prefix (http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2371801)
...
At the same time, the American billionaire is often lambasted across Europe for stifling consumer choice.

Europe's antitrust chiefs are planning to pass sentence by May 1 in their long-running dispute with Microsoft over charges the software giant has monopolized markets.

The belief is that a consensus will be easier to reach before that date, when 10 additional countries are set to join the European Union.

Microsoft has denied the charges and continues to seek a settlement.
...
But the most priceless quote of this article is this gem:
Speaking here Monday at a conference attended by finance ministers and executives from around the world, Gates commented that "all I know about the ceremony is what I saw on Monty Python."

[TB4000]

Thou mocketh the Lord of the Blue Screen of Death?

Sir Gates receiveth his award admidst European antitrust unhappyness:

Gates will be gallant without formal prefix (http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2371801)

But the most priceless quote of this article is this gem:
And now for something completely different....

this is the richest man on Earth? Dude, if you don't relinquish that crown to me right now, I'll come up there and take your lunch money AND your metal Empire Strikes Back lunch box.

[Faithless]

I wonder how big this news is in Europe.

A Silicon Valley perspective thinks that the UK has taken a walk down another treacherous path, leading them away from the European Union:

Leader: Does Gates' gong equal an endorsement of Microsoft practices? (http://www.silicon.com/management/government/0,39024677,39117989,00.htm)

Whichever way this is dressed up that would seem to be the case...

Bill Gates has today been awarded an honorary knighthood. Cue the controversy - not least because of the messages this sends out at a time when Gates' company is under investigation by the EU for anticompetitive behaviour.

By awarding Gates this honour, the implication would appear to be that the UK government wholeheartedly endorses Gates' business model, despite other European leaders not being so sure. In fact it doesn't just endorse it - it even thinks it worthy of reward.

A government statement mentioned Gates' charity work as one reason he landed the gong but there has been no statement to the effect of it being his philanthropy in isolation. In fact, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it is as much his services to enterprise which have won him a trip to the palace.

silicon.com pressed the FCO on the issue only to be told in essence that the government doesn't really care what's going on with the EU.

But isn't the UK part of Europe? Isn't the antitrust case therefore an issue in the UK?

We were told it's not really a problem because there hasn't been a resolution in the case. But some may argue that's exactly the problem here.

Innocent until proven guilty is all well and good but given the high profile of the case wouldn't it have been prudent to adopt a wait-and-see approach, rather than undermine the credibility of the investigation by bestowing the highest possible accolade upon the man effectively standing in the dock?

So why has the government done this? After all, Gates' philanthropy is not new and he's long been a widely respected paymaster for thousands in the UK workforce.

If it had been made clear that this decision was taken purely because of Gates' philanthropy then this publication would gladly concede it is a deserved honour - as much as any of these anachronistic back-slappings ever are. But that isn't the case

This week Gates is the star turn at an event in London chaired by Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. Last week the NHS was locked in talks with Gates over renegotiating cheaper software licences for the health service.

We're in no way suggesting that these events are linked to the knighthood but they do serve as a timely reminder as to why it's worth having Gates on side.

Whether that's an association the government really wanted to maintain at further cost to its already battered credibility is one only they can answer - but it would certainly not appear to trouble them.

However, until the latest legal wrangling blows over it makes the UK government appear to be an apologist for the rest of Europe's actions.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

huh? I thought the Constitution and/or US nationality law forbade American citizens from being granted titles by foreign governments ...

[Faithless]

huh? I thought the Constitution and/or US nationality law forbade American citizens from being granted titles by foreign governments ...
Apprently not.

Here's a list of some notable Americans granted knighthood:

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/knighthood.htm

Among them:
Ronald Reagan
Alan Greenspan

Apparently there was a failed attempt at restructuring the 13th Amendment that would have prohibited things like Knighthood:

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/13th.htm

[A.R.A.M.]

Apprently not.

Here's a list of some notable Americans granted knighthood:

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/knighthood.htm

Among them:
Ronald Reagan
Alan Greenspan



I think that Ricardo Montalban's induction into the papal order far outshines Reagan and Greenspans' elevation to knighthood. I mean, he did far more than kill Kirk, he hurt him.

[mr. x]

man whateva, mike rowe is the real knight in my eyes :rolleyes:

course u gots to have serfs to be a knight. and gates does just that

[myself808]

does this mean he will go around saying NEE all the time? (or is it NIH?)

his official title will be: Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. (yes really) (http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/26/technology/gates_knight/) Other business personalities awarded knighthood include IBM Chairman Lou Gerstner, oil tycoon John Paul Getty, Texas Instruments co-founder Cecil Green and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Reuters reported.

Other people from outside the business world who have had the honor bestowed on them include film director Steven Spielberg, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani and retired general and Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark, according to nationmaster.com.

Wes Clark in surprising.