America’s Best Entrepreneurial Governor

The North Dakota native and graduate of Stanford’s business school invested in tiny Great Plains Software in 1983 and became its CEO, growing the accounting software firm to 2,000 employees.
Q: How did you get from North Dakota–and North Dakota State University–to Stanford business school?
Then he left Stanford and joined Microsoft, when it had 30 people.
BURGUM: It was in 1983.
Q: Between the time you invested in Great Plains in 1983 and sold to Microsoft in 2001 were there any mistakes you regret?
I wanted to make sure Microsoft wanted a company and its people, not just a product.
I thought, wouldn’t it be great to run a state like that—to develop talent and attract capital?
BURGUM: Technology is changing every job, every company and every industry—or soon will be.
BURGUM: Not at all.
BURGUM: Yes.