Bill Gates: from undisciplined genius to friendly guru

Bill Gates entered our homes through the window, rather than the door – if you’ll excuse the pun. Our first introduction to him came via the icon of his most famous creation – Windows – and it was only later that we matched his name to that bespectacled face. Since then, countless articles, books, films and degree theses have been dedicated to him, and virtually his entire career has been played out in the public eye. Yet there a few finer details that didn’t make the official record – and it’s these things that help to paint the most complete picture yet of the man who changed the computer industry, just like Henry Ford revolutionised the world of cars.

 

An undisciplined genius

Gates founded Microsoft in 1975, at the age of just 19, having dropped out of a law course at Harvard. It was something of a disappointment to his parents, who had marked him out as a future lawyer. Even Gates could scarcely have imagined that he would go on to hold the crown of world’s richest man for years, until he was eventually usurped by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos. In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Gates admitted that he was such an “undisciplined” young man that his mother and father were forced to make him see a therapist. « There were strict rules for me to respect – but I rejected them, » he explained.

Back in 1968, for example, Gates simply stopped studying or even showing up to class because his school (the prestigious Lakeside) had rented one of the first computers, a DEC PDP-10 made by the Computer Center Corporation. The young Gates – alongside friend and co-founder of Microsoft Paul Allen – was enthralled by the machine: he was determined to understand how it worked and correct all its bugs.

The two even managed to hack the PC to alter the user details, but were found out and banned from the IT lab. It sparked Gates and Allen to strike out on their own, together with another two partners, so they could enjoy unlimited access to the technology. They founded the Lakeside Programmers Group – and shortly afterwards the very same people that had banned them were calling them up for help in identifying the weaknesses in their system.

In 1979, the 23-year-old Gates was already earning $2.5 million per year and had no intention of stopping there. « I really was a workaholic – I never took a holiday, » recalled Gates, though years later he did admit that he was wrong not to dedicate enough time to socialising and frivolous activities such as football.

 

From nerd to guru

Not satisfied with having built an empire and brought computers into every office and home in the land (with some help from Apple and Steve Jobs, granted), Gates next turned his attention to humanitarian causes. In 2000, he and his wife launched a private humanitarian organisation working in the fields of medicinal research, the fight against AIDS and malaria, improving standard of living in the third world and education. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is today one of the largest humanitarian organisations in the world, providing the main platform for Gates to try to make reality the notion of “creative capitalism” he announced during a keynote speech at the 2008 Davos Forum. According to this concept, companies do not solely strive for technological progress in order to boost profits, but also to promote development and wellbeing where the need is greatest – in the poorest areas of the world.

In 2015, the foundation launched the Global Goals initiative, a project whose aim was to achieve 17 global objectives, including: the end of extreme poverty, the fight against inequality and the deacceleration of climate change. Many celebrities have thrown their names – and faces – behind Bill and Melinda and their worthy cause, including Malala Yousafzai, Anastacia, Stephen Hawking, Stevie Wonder, Kate Winslet, Queen Rania of Jordan, Jennifer Lopez and Meryl Streep.

It’s unsurprising, then, that the former nerd turned multimillionaire is the most admired man in the world, according to British research institute YouGov (Angelina Jolie is the most admired woman).

 

How to become a millionaire and be happy

Although not technically a Harvard graduate (the irony of Harvard awarding Gates an honorary degree has never been lost on him), Gates has returned to the university of many occasions, having recognised the importance of his role as someone capable of motivating and moulding the talent of tomorrow.

In 2017, Gates took to Twitter to offer Harvard students 14 tips and pieces of advice.

1/ New college grads often ask me for career advice. At the risk of sounding like this guy… (clip from “The Graduate” ndr.)
2/ AI, energy, and biosciences are promising fields where you can make a huge impact. It’s what I would do if starting out today.
3/ Looking back on when I left college, there are some things I wish I had known.
4/ E.g. Intelligence takes many different forms. It is not one-dimensional. And not as important as I used to think.
5/ I also have one big regret: When I left school, I knew little about the world’s worst inequities. Took me decades to learn.
6/ You know more than I did when I was your age. You can start fighting inequity, whether down the street or around the world, sooner.
7/ Meanwhile, surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you, and push you to be your best self. As Melinda Gates does for me.
8/ Like Warren Buffett I measure my happiness by whether people close to me are happy and love me, & by the difference I make for others.
9/ If I could give each of you a graduation present, it would be this–the most inspiring book I’ve ever read. (Steven Pinker, The better angels of our nature)
10/ Pinker shows how the world is getting better. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. This is the most peaceful time in human history.
11/ That matters because if you think the world is getting better, you want to spread the progress to more people and places.
12/ It doesn’t mean you ignore the serious problems we face. It just means you believe they can be solved.
13/ This is the core of my worldview. It sustains me in tough times and is the reason I love my work. I think it can do same for you.
14/ This is an amazing time to be alive. I hope you make the most of it.