Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, once shared a surprisingly candid perspective on how challenging it was for him to enjoy the company’s triumphs, even after reaching billionaire status. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that he truly recognized their success. Reflecting on that period, Gates said, “I didn’t feel comfortable about our success until around 1998. Before that, I always felt like a single mistake could spell our demise.”
Over the years, the dynamic between Gates and Steve Jobs, the iconic co-founder of Apple, has always intrigued many. During an interview with The Independent, Gates recounted a cheeky remark from Jobs, who once mused that if Gates had experimented with acid, his product design might have improved. Responding humorously, Gates joked, “I must have gotten the wrong batch.”
Their friendship was as complex as it was fascinating. Despite their competitive spirits, Gates played a part in developing software for Apple’s early machines and notably came to Apple’s rescue in 1997 with a hefty investment when the company was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Jobs, renowned for his extraordinary design and marketing knack, led the charge on revolutionary products like the iPhone and iMac. He believed Gates lacked in those departments, but couldn’t deny Gates’ technical brilliance. Gates himself reflected, “I got the coding skills, and Jobs had the marketing-design flair. Our talents didn’t really overlap, apart from both being energetic leaders willing to push boundaries.”
Meanwhile, Microsoft was making significant strides with its investments in cloud computing, which played a substantial role in the company achieving a staggering market valuation of over $3 trillion. Additionally, Microsoft was heavily focused on its Office suite, including staples like Word and Excel, now used by billions around the globe. Gates’ product launches didn’t exactly align with Jobs’ tastes, but they were undeniably successful.
In another candid moment, Gates confessed to The Independent that he experimented with drugs before Microsoft’s inception. Reflecting on this youthful indiscretion, he said, “I thought it might make me seem cooler or more interesting to someone, but it didn’t work out, so I dropped it.”
