Bill Gates advertises for a new Chairman of Microsoft Europe and 5,000 candidates show up at the job screening and interviews.
They are all assembled in a large room.
Among them is a small bearded man, Maurice Cohen, a French Jew.
Bill Gates thanks the candidates for coming but asks all those who are not familiar with the JAVA programming language to leave.
2,000 people rise and leave the room.
Maurice Cohen says to himself, “I don’t know this language but, if I stay, what have I got to lose? I’ll give it a try.”
Bill Gates then asks all those who have no experience in managing teams of more than 100 people to leave.
Another 2,000 people go.
Maurice Cohen says to himself, “I’ve never managed anybody but myself but, if I stay, what have I got to lose?”
Then Bill Gates asks all candidates who do not have Ph.D’s or other outstanding academic qualifications to rise and leave.
500 people remove themselves.
Maurice Cohen says to himself, “I left school at 15 but, if I stay, what have I got to lose?”
So he stays in the room. Lastly, Bill Gates asks all of the candidates who do not speak the Serbo-Croat language to rise and leave.
498 people rise and leave the room. Maurice Cohen says himself, “I do not speak Serbo-Croat but what the hell! What have I got to lose?”
He finds himself alone with one other candidate.
Everyone else has gone.
Bill Gates joins them and says, “Apparently you two are the only candidates who know JAVA, have managed large teams of employees, have advanced PhD degrees and who speak Serbo-Croatian. Please, I’d like to hear you converse with one another in Serbo-Croatian.”
Maurice calmly turns to the other candidate and says to him, “Baruch atah Adonai.”
The other candidate answers, “Elohenu melech ha’olam.”
