The past always seems simpler; perhaps that’s why nostalgia often holds more appeal than dreams of the future. One might assume that a visionary like Bill Gates wouldn’t dwell on the past, yet even he fondly reminisces about his early days. In a recent Instagram post, the Microsoft co-founder shared an anecdote from his teenage years when he lived in a split-level home in Seattle. While most kids his age snuck out for parties, Gates had a different calling, computers.
As soon as his parents fell asleep in the master bedroom above, Gates would climb out of his ground-floor window, not to meet friends but to sneak into a computer lab for free computing time (to write computer code until after 2 a.m.). This is where he, along with his equally driven buddy Paul Allen (who later owned the legendary 414-foot Octopus superyacht), sharpened their programming skills.
Their late-night escapades weren’t just about curiosity; they were a mission fueled by passion and necessity. Money was tight, and Gates, who is now worth $108 billion, had to rely on the cheapest mode of transport, a city bus, to reach the University District, where he walked two blocks to a Seattle computer company. He later admitted that his parents never found out, and while he doesn’t endorse sneaking out, he confessed that he simply couldn’t resist any opportunity for computer time. “We were kids … none of us had any real computer experience,” Gates writes, adding: “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.”He also shared he’d sometimes walk 45 minutes home if he missed the last bus of the night at 2 a.m.
Fortunately, Gates’ obsession with computers paid off. At Lakeside School, he had access to a Teletype Model 33, where, at just 13 years old, he wrote his first computer program, a tic-tac-toe game that allowed users to play against a machine.
By high school, he and Allen were already monetizing their skills, analyzing traffic patterns using computers. Even at Harvard University, he spent more time in the computer lab than in class. That relentless pursuit of knowledge eventually led to the founding of Microsoft in 1975, setting him on a path to global dominance and immense wealth.
Bill Gates’ $650 million superyacht is nothing short of a marvel in itself –
It’s both heartwarming and inspiring to see that even the world’s greatest innovators, the very men commissioning record-breaking superyachts, once paved their own paths with blood, sweat, and sheer determination. Though Gates ultimately backed out of taking delivery of the world’s first hydrogen-powered superyacht, the 390-foot Feadship Breakthrough, his involvement in its creation sparked conversations about sustainable yachting.
Designed to run on ‘green’ hydrogen, a fuel produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy, Breakthrough was set to be a game-changer in the maritime world. Interestingly, this eco-conscious vessel feels more like his ex-wife Melinda Gates’ vision than Bill’s, with its two bedrooms, gym, offices, and multiple bathrooms, creating a home-away-from-home feel. Spanning five decks above the waterline and two below, the yacht boasts 14 balconies, seven fold-out platforms, a pool, a Jacuzzi, a steam room, and a full library, perfect for the voracious readers of the Gates family.
Designed by British studio RWD, Breakthrough was envisioned as a secluded, four-level townhouse at sea. And while Gates might not have taken ownership of this floating marvel, it’s worth noting that at 390 feet, the $650 million Breakthrough is as long as 10 city buses, a poetic nod to his humble beginnings, when buses were his only mode of transportation.
