It must be asparagus season in Redmond. Martha Stewart Martha Stewart's online calendar says she'll pick asparagus tomorrow, but that's also the day she's expected to be at Microsoft discussing technology with Bill Gates and 140 other business leaders at the company's annual CEO Summit. For the fourth year in a row, Microsoft is hosting CEOs from around the world at a conference where they network, brainstorm about technology and hear about the world's largest software company's vision of the future. Microsoft refrains from selling directly at the summit, but in years past Gates used the event to impart his enthusiasm for an increasingly interconnected business world - running on new, more powerful software.
Events begin today with an evening reception in Seattle.
Tomorrow, the CEOs will spend the day at Microsoft's on-campus conference center, then dine at Gates' mansion in Medina. With the economy slowing and dot-coms crashing, CEOs in general are more cautious about spending on new technology, Davis said. But this year's summit themes are tailored to appeal to thrifty CEOs. In addition to Stewart, CEO guests expected to attend include Michael Capellas of Compaq, John Chambers of Cisco, Meg Whitman of eBay and Michael Eisner of Disney. Michael Eisner James Sinegal of Costco will drive over from Issaquah, and Howard Schultz of Starbucks will cross the lake from Seattle.