Bill Gates Reflects on Microsoft’s 50 Years: A Bittersweet Milestone

Bill Gates experienced a whirlwind of emotions as Microsoft approached its 50th anniversary.

In a blog post shared two days before the April 4 milestone, the billionaire philanthropist — who established the tech giant in 1975 alongside late childhood friend Paul Allen — expressed enthusiasm about celebrations while confessing the occasion felt “both joyful and poignant.”

“I frequently ponder Microsoft’s journey and envision its path forward,” he wrote. “Yet it’s surreal to realize such a defining chapter of my life spans five decades.”

For the 69-year-old innovator, currently promoting his February memoir Source Code documenting his formative years, the company’s origins remain vivid.

Before evolving into Microsoft (originally hyphenated as Micro-Soft), the duo bonded over their fascination with computing technology.

“Our origin story starts with an unlikely catalyst — a periodical,” Gates revealed. The January 1975 Popular Mechanics cover showcased an Altair 8800, which he called “a revolutionary DIY computer kit democratizing access to computing power.”

“That magazine feature became our call to action,” Gates continued. “Paul and I immediately recognized the dawn of personal computing — and our determination to pioneer this frontier.”

The partners identified software development as crucial for shaping human-computer interaction. They contacted Altair’s manufacturers claiming to possess a compatible version of BASIC — an accessible programming language — though this assertion contained one complication.

They hadn’t actually created the software yet. Through marathon coding sessions, they delivered their promise. This lines-of-code creation became Microsoft’s foundational product.

Commemorating the anniversary, Gates unveiled downloadable access to Microsoft’s inaugural source code.

“Programming has evolved tremendously,” he noted, “yet I remain immensely proud of our initial breakthrough.”