9 Fascinating Things You Didn't Know About Bill Gates
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Microsoft chairman and founder Bill Gates turns 60 today! To celebrate, we've gathered facts about him from his previous Reddit Ask Me Anything sessions and interviews. Ahead, discover tidbits about the current cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and then read up on his one regret in life.
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He caused trouble at a young age.
Did you know Bill Gates was banned from using a Computer Center Corporation computer when he was 13 because he was caught exploiting bugs in the system?
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His house is INSANE.
Bill Gates's house is a geek's dream, packed with modern tech like heated floors, custom music and temperature settings, and sensors that track your movements around the house. Additionally, the home is eco-friendly — it is made of recycled wood and materials, and is built into the hillside so as not to disturb the natural surroundings.
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Cheap things make him the happiest.
Since becoming wealthy, Bill says the cheapest things that give him the most pleasure are: "Kids. Cheap cheeseburgers. Open Course Ware courses. "
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He was hustlin' at a young age.
He wrote and sold his first computer program — for scheduling classes — to his high school by the time he was 17.
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He and Steve Jobs had a good relationship.
The Microsoft founder's response to a Reddit user's question on his relationship with Steve Jobs explains the professional regard the men had for one another.
He and I respected each other. Our biggest joint project was the Mac where Microsoft had more people on the project than Apple did as we wrote a lot of applications. I saw Steve regularly over the years including spending an afternoon with him a few months before he tragically passed away . . .
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He's a major history buff.
Bill says that some of the first things he'd save in a fire are documents he's collected from famous historical icons — Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, and Leonardo da Vinci — like da Vinci's Codex Leicester notebook, which he bought in 1994 for over $30 million.
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He reviews books online.
As busy as he is, Bill finds time to keep up on reading and even reviews many of the books he reads online. In his own words: "My favorite of the last decade [is Steven] Pinker's Better Angels of Our Nature. It is a long, but profound look at the reduction in violence and discrimination over time. I review a lot of the books I read at gatesnotes.com."
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He only sometimes codes.
Bill still codes . . . a bit. "I write some C, C# and some Basic. I am surprised new languages have not made more progress in simplifying programming. It would be great if most high school kids were exposed to programming . . ."
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He will defend Microsoft products forever and ever.
Tease all you want about other tech companies' dominance in the market; Bill remains loyal to Microsoft products:
- "I just got my Surface Pro a week ago and it is very nice. I am using a Perceptive Pixel display right now — huge Windows 8 touch whiteboard. These will come down in price over time and be pervasive . . ."
- "Seriously Bing is the better product at this point. Try the challenge. I am biased but the work to make Bing better has been amazing."