[utopiah]

No, it wasn't the case then, it's not the case now :

"Beyond the Seattle area, Gates [Bill's mother] was appointed to the board of directors of the national United Way in 1980, becoming the first woman to lead it in 1983. Her tenure on the national board's executive committee is believed to have helped Microsoft, based in Seattle, at a crucial time. In 1980, she discussed her son's company with John Opel, a fellow committee member, and the chairman of International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). Opel, by some accounts, mentioned Mrs. Gates to other IBM executives. A few weeks later, IBM took a chance by hiring Microsoft, then a small software firm, to develop an operating system for its first personal computer." from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Maxwell_Gates

It's as if your mother now was at the board of NVIDIA (because IBM then was quite the powerhouse). Sure, you still need to write "a few thousands lines of assembly" or equivalent... or find someone else who would, but you still need the connection to sell "it".

So... is your mom at such a famous board? Actually ANY board? If not you might have to write a LOT more and still a successful software company, sorry.