And here I thought that The Police’s upcoming concert tour was going to be this year’s most unlikely onstage gathering of guys who have trouble getting along, butI think that’s going to get outdone by Bill Gates’ and Steve Jobs’ joint appearance at the Wall Street Journal’s “D: All Things Digital” conference taking place at the end of May. According to the news release, “The two men will jointly discuss the history and future of the digital revolution in an unrehearsed, unscripted, onstage conversation.”
This should be amusing. Jobs has the benefits of Apple’s strong performance this decade among both ordinary users and alpha geeks, stage presence, improvisation skills and the Reality Distortion Field. On the other hand, Gates has the contend with the lackluster sales and reviews of both Windows Vista and the Zune. Making matters worse, if his recent appearance and awkwardly abrupt exit from The Daily Show are any indication, Gates is still uncomfortable conversing with carbon-based life forms and even more so when the conversation hasn’t been pre-programmed.