When Dean and Durell had just arrived at the airport in Arlington, Virginia, the headquarters of AOL also welcomed a special guest.
"Mr. Case, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello, Mr. Gates."
Steve Case and Bill Gates had completed their first meeting with each other, which seemed rather ordinary.
On the eve of AOL's impending IPO, the CEO of Microsoft visited AOL's headquarters.
This issue was intriguing, and Steve Case felt that unusual tension.
Had it not been for the strong recommendation of Ross Higerman, Steve Case might have declined to meet this man from Seattle.
It was also thanks to Higerman's persuasion that Bill Gates had come to the East Coast.
The founders of the two companies had no previous acquaintance, and their first meeting did not spark any bursts of insight.
Steve Case was indifferent to the man ranked second on the Forbes list, and Gates was not particularly interested in a small AOL.