Bill Gates, who left Harvard at 20 to become Microsoft’s first CEO in 1975, recently voiced sorrow for leaving college, reflecting on the valuable experience he had there. Gates wrote in his memoir Source Code that he sometimes contemplated returning to get his degree, recalling Harvard’s intellectually engaging environment.
He enjoyed learning about many areas such as psychology, economics, and history, as well as having in-depth conversations with educated friends. Despite his enormous success at Microsoft, Gates admitted to missing the intellectual and social environment that Harvard provided.
He told CNBC Make It, “I enjoyed Harvard. I enjoyed the classes, including some that I just sat in on: psychology, economics, history courses. I loved having smart people around. We could sit and talk late into the night about very interesting things.”
Gates was pushed to make a decision when a technological discovery created an opportunity that he and his Microsoft co-founder, high school friend Paul Allen, needed to move on fast, or risk losing it to competition.
In high school, Gates and Allen predicted that microprocessors will eventually change computing by making large, expensive devices smaller and more affordable to the general public. However, they believed that the technology was not yet ready. That changed in 1974, when Allen enthusiastically raced into Gates’ room with the most recent edition of Popular Electronics, which featured the Altair 8800, the “world’s first minicomputer kit” created by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems. Realizing the promise, Gates and Allen believed that if they could create software for the Altair, they could lead a new industry—as long as they moved quickly.
For two years, Gates battled to combine operating Microsoft with continuing his education, even attempting to persuade his buddy and early Microsoft programmer, Ric Weiland, to take over so he could get his degree. However, after Weiland left for graduate school, Gates concluded that no one could lead the organization with the intensity required. Gates eventually chose to drop out of school and devote his full attention to Microsoft. He remained CEO until 2000, when Microsoft revolutionized the computer industry and made Gates and co-founder Paul Allen billionaires. Microsoft is currently valued at more than $3 trillion.
Earlier this year, Gates’s former applied mathematics professor, Harry Lewis, admitted to having his own regret. “I wasn’t surprised when he dropped out,” Lewis said. “I just wish I’d invested in him.” Lewis, who has been teaching at Harvard since the 1970s, recalled Gates as “mature” beyond his years. Even at 20, Gates frequently questioned adults and eagerly took on difficult problems. “He always wanted a challenge,” Lewis told The Times of London.
