Bill Gates organizes an enormous session to recruit a new Chairman for Microsoft Europe. Exactly 5,000 candidates are assembled in a large room. One candidate is a Filipino named Mario Dimaculangan. “Thank you for coming,” Gates says. “Those who do not know Java may leave.” About 2,000 people leave the room.

Mario says to himself, “I do not know Java but I have nothing to lose if I stay. I’ll give it a try.” Again Gates announces: “Candidates who’ve never had experience in managing more than a hundred people may leave.” Two thousand more people leave the room. “I never managed anybody but myself, but I have nothing to lose if I stay. What can happen to me?” Mario says, and so decides to stay. Bill Gates shouts once again: “Candidates who do not have management diplomas may leave.” Five hundred people then leave the room. Mario whispers to himself, “I left high school at 15 but what have I got to lose?” So he stays in the room. Finally, Gates asks the candidates who do not speak Serbo-Croat to leave. Exactly 498 walk to the exits. “I do not speak one word of Serbo-Croat, but what have I got to lose?” So he stays and finds himself with one other candidate. Bill Gates joins them and says, “Apparently you are the only two candidates who speak Serbo-Croat, so I’d now like to hear you have a conversation together in that language.” Calmly, Mario turns to the other candidate and says, “Pa’no ba yun, Dong?” The other candidate answers, “Ewan ko nga rin, pare!”