[brudgers]

Perhaps Silicon Valley has never quite embraced Bill Gates because Microsoft is not part of Silicon Valley.

Microsoft's success in Redmond doesn't fit with the Silicon Valley narrative that ties creativity to geography.

In other words Microsoft's success challenges the value of Silicon Valley's terroir. It goes against the brand.

That's not to say that geography doesn't play a role - it's hard to imagine a Microsoft based out of Bentonville.