Microsoft stands tall as one of the most valuable companies globally, boasting a market capitalization that exceeds trillion. Its suite of products and services has become integral to the operations of countless organizations around the world. However, the tech giant’s journey has not been without its challenges. Last year, a significant IT outage caused by a faulty kernel driver from CrowdStrike disrupted operations across various sectors, leaving approximately 8.5 million Windows devices displaying the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) error.
As Microsoft navigates through the competitive landscape, it finds itself in a dynamic tussle for the top position alongside NVIDIA and Apple, both of which have heavily invested in the burgeoning AI sector. Recently, Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, shared insights into the foundational elements that have contributed to the company’s remarkable success. In his new memoir, Source Code: My Beginnings, Gates reflects on his early passion for coding, which ignited at the tender age of 13.
In a candid revelation, Gates recounts sneaking out in the dead of night to pursue his coding dreams, as his family did not own a computer. His nightly escapades involved a 20-minute journey downtown, where he could access a computer and hone his skills until the early hours of the morning. He fondly recalls the “laissez-faire treatment” he received from passers-by, who seemed unperturbed by a young boy out and about at such an hour.
Gates credits a local Seattle company, Computer Center, for providing him with invaluable access to computers. There, he spent countless hours refining his coding abilities, albeit with the requirement to assist the company in resolving bugs and malware issues. In his memoir, he reflects on this pivotal experience:
“We were kids… none of us had any real computer experience. Without that lucky break of free computer time—call it my first 500 hours—the next 9,500 hours might not have happened at all.”
Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates
Bill Gates had to leave Harvard for Microsoft
In a twist of fate, Gates found himself compelled to leave Harvard University after just three semesters. He candidly shared this decision during a conversation with CNBC, stating, “I had to give in to the inevitable and give up school and, of course, never go back.” This pivotal moment was sparked by a visit from his longtime friend and co-founder, Paul Allen, who rushed to Gates’ room with a copy of Popular Electronics magazine. The cover featured the Altair 8800, the world’s first minicomputer kit that promised to rival commercial models.
This revelation ignited a sense of urgency and excitement within Gates and Allen, leading them to realize that the time to act was now. Gates reflected on this moment, saying:
“Until then, we felt like, ‘Hey, this is going to happen and we’ll figure out our timing and what kind of company to do. The panic about, ‘God, it’s happening without us,’ was when Popular Electronics had the kit computer [on its cover]. Little did we know, [MITS] basically hadn’t assembled any of them.”
While Gates enjoyed his brief tenure at Harvard, he acknowledges that had he remained, he might have missed out on the monumental opportunity that Microsoft presented. His story serves as a testament to the unpredictable nature of innovation and the paths that can lead to extraordinary success.
