Bill Gates reflects on Microsoft’s 50th anniversary

Celebrating 50 years of @Microsoft through the GIVE Program! In 2024 alone, our employees donated $88M and volunteered 460K+ hours in WA State while supporting causes and communities worldwide. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

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Microsoft founder Bill Gates still fondly remembers the computer code he wrote 50 years ago that opened up a new frontier in technology. The code Gates printed out on a teletype machine in 1975 may look crude compared to today’s artificial intelligence platforms, but it played a critical role in creating Microsoft. Gates, 69, reminisces on how he and his high school friend, the late Paul Allen, scrambled to create the world’s first “software factory” after reading an article about the Altair 8800, a minicomputer powered by an Intel chip.

My article for @fr_conversation about @Microsoft’s 50th anniversary is now available in English. @ESCP_bs @centralesupelec @ActuFNEGE @strategieaims @La_Rfg https://t.co/xtK6pY2BOn

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The article inspired Gates, then a freshman at Harvard University, and Allen to call Altair’s maker and promise they had developed software to control the hardware. There was just one hitch: Gates and Allen hadn’t yet written the code they promised. They tackled the challenge by latching onto the BASIC computer language developed in 1964 at Dartmouth College.

I am humbled and honored that I had a small or (sometimes) large part in the creation of 46,37,31,30,25,24,22,19,17,14,11,10,4,2,& 1 ! #Microsoft50 https://t.co/Q1rm1ETnY2

— Larry Hryb, Gamer Emeritus ?⌨️?️? (@majornelson) April 2, 2025

After two months of intense work with little sleep, Gates finished the code that became the basis for the Altair’s first operating system. “That code remains the coolest I’ve ever written,” Gates wrote in his blog post, which includes an option to download the original program.

Reflecting on foundational code milestones

50 years. 500K+ partners. Infinite possibilities ahead.

From floppy disks to the cloud, from Clippy to Copilot—thank you for building the future with us: https://t.co/wfZllajtSt ?✨#Microsoft50 pic.twitter.com/3FZUyEQuin

— Microsoft Partner (@msPartner) April 2, 2025

The code would go on to provide the foundation for a business that made personal computers a household staple, with software like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the Windows operating system. Gates said of the code, “That was the revolution. That was the thing that ushered in personal computing.” His recollection is part of a nostalgic kick as he prepares to turn 70 in October.

The trip down memory lane included exploring his early years and hailing the 25th anniversary of his philanthropic foundation. Microsoft initially stumbled after Gates’ departure as CEO in 2000 but has been thriving under current CEO Satya Nadella. The tech giant has amassed a market value of about $2.8 trillion.

In his memoir, Gates also reflected on his tempestuous relationship with fellow PC pioneer, the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, whose company will celebrate its own golden anniversary next year. “Fifty years is a long time,” said Gates, whose personal fortune is estimated at $108 billion. “It’s crazy that the dream came true.”

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