Nigerian Programmer Turned Down Bill Gates Job Offer

According to report, Nigerian computer programmer has turned down a chance to work with the richest man in the world. Who does that?

The twenty-three-year-old Nigerian entrepreneur, Chris Kwekowe turned down a job offer to work as a software engineer at Microsoft, owned by the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, in order to begin his own start-up in Lagos.

The Lagos State University computer science graduate proudly revealed this to Bill Gates during a television interview for Africa’s brightest young entrepreneurs in August 2016.

Kwekowe, who won the 2015 Anzisha Prize which came with a $25,000 cheque, said he rejected the offer to build up his own startup, Slatecube – a website aimed at helping other young Nigerians find jobs.

“When I told him, Gates was intrigued and he smiled. After the programme, all the directors were like, ‘Dude, you mean you actually turned down a job at Microsoft and had the guts to tell Bill Gates?’

Kwekowe founded Slatecube with his brother Emerald, 20, in October 2014. The pair funded their efforts by freelancing as web designers and running a software solutions firm. He said Slatecube seeks to solve that problem by nurturing the graduates through digital internships and so far. Slatecube has an 80% employment rate for its users.

Companies that have used the platform, have saved over $100,000 in 2015 by hiring skilled, ready to work employees.