The Devil and William Gates Summary

William Gates III is dead. Some folks in the Pacific Northwest claim that he is buried, while others claim he is present in every keystroke on the World Wide Web. He controls all business. For a while, Bill controls all of life, although he had started out plain-looking and not much to listen to. In May 1975, Bill is so frustrated by an invention that another bests, that he swears his soul to the Devil. He is relieved when the Devil does not appear—until the next day, when he prints out a "contract of servitude" good for 25 years of fortune. The Devil admires Bill's industry in fulfilling his prophecy.

As the 25 years ends, Bill plans how to buy-out the Devil rather than surrender his soul. Unimpressed, the Devil gives Bill overnight to tie up...