In part two of this special two-part episode with Bill Gates, we’re talking about the biggest success story ever told on the podcast – and not just for Bill Gates, but for humanity. And it was achieved not through Microsoft, but through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill & Melinda Gates have built the foundation into one of the world’s single largest private philanthropies and they’ve done it by taking lessons learned at Microsoft – on how to massively capitalize on inflection points – and applied them to the nonprofit world. Here’s how. 

How did Bill Gates scale both a global business and a global philanthropy? He spotted an inflection point in history — and accelerated it, with a great idea, great timing and great partners. Because even Bill Gates doesn’t go it alone. In Part 1 of a two-part episode, Bill reflects with Reid on the founding and growth of Microsoft — how he not only spotted an inflection point (hello, PCs) but accelerated it to massive scale (forget PCs, let’s talk software platforms).

The secret to massive scale? Be a platform. Build a virtuous cycle where everyone wins, and you’ll emerge the biggest winner of all. This is what Tobi Lütke did when he built Shopify – and then opened it up to the world.

To lead a fast-changing organization, you have to be as skilled at breaking plans as you are at making them. Take it from Sheryl Sandberg, who helped grow Facebook to 2 billion users and 14,000 employees in her first six years. She shares the practical, tactical, on-the-ground lessons she learned at Google and Facebook — everything from hiring people for roles that never existed before to navigating make-or-break crises.