Bill Gates on LinkedIn: When I was 20 years old, in the early Microsoft days, I wrote this letter… | 304 comments (2024)

Ransilu Koralege

I help businesses build great software, faster. ⚡ 70% Cost Saving

1y

Your efforts to promote the value of software and the need for payment have contributed to the growth of the technology industry, and it's inspiring to see how far it has come since the early Microsoft days.

Richard Chiang

Chief Marketing Officer │ Administrative │ Copywriter │ Content Production │ Human Resources │ Sales │ Customer Service │ Research and Development │ Operations │ Administrative assistant │ Public Relations │ Finance

1y

Congratulations on an extraordinary journey! Reflecting on your early days at Microsoft it's truly remarkable to see how your vision and hard work have shaped the technology industry and transformed the world as we know it.Your letter to PC hobbyists in Computer Notes magazine, written when you were just 20 years old, exemplifies your unwavering commitment to innovation and your deep understanding of the value of software. Your plea for fair compensation for software has not only paved the way for the software industry's growth, but it has also fostered a culture of innovation that continues to thrive today.Your relentless pursuit of excellence has resulted in the creation of groundbreaking products and technologies that have revolutionized the way we live, work, and communicate. Your leadership and foresight have helped Microsoft become a global technology powerhouse, and your philanthropic efforts have made a lasting impact on communities around the world.Your incredible trajectory is a testament to your vision, perseverance, and dedication. As you look back on your remarkable achievements, please know that your contributions to the world of technology and beyond are deeply appreciated and celebrated.Thank you Bill Gates

christine rañeses

Teacher III at DepEd Cauayan

12mo

They really should pay for the software that you've produce. You exerted so much effort in making it and it's not easy to code or to make a program in a computer and not all people understand computer language. It's your intellectual and technical intelligence, you made things easy. From DOS base to windows base, it's really a huge transformation because everything is menu driven, when MS Windows was introduce to business industry and to the public. Everything is so easy to use now, specially in manipulating and navigating the computer. Without your brilliant ideas a lot of people will still have a hard up in using the computer. I salute your greatness in the field of technicality. The operating system,the software products and all computer innovations that you imparted to the world are greatly appreciated Sir! May God bless you more! You deserved a gigantic applause from all of us!

Marcos E.

Senior Software Engineer | Python, Django, Kubernetes, Microservices, Data, Go

1y

And now the company founded by Mr Gates charges 100 Dollars an year for a tool based in an AI model trained on a gazillion of open source repositories, without paying a single dime for Open Source authors. kind of ironic.

Andy Chambliss

Owner, The Computer Guy

1y

I can remember reading such an article way back under when and ms-dos was still at level 3.0, and I wrote to you in regards to how files were stored and accessed within the filesystem on any FAT file system and just a few suggestions on other changes I saw could be advantageous to such file allocation tables.You wrote back to me, an appreciation letter with the noted changes of a couple, and which version of DOS the changes would be applied to. I still had the hand written and signed letter from you, Mr Gates, until my house burned to the ground 5 years ago. I had big plans as a 12 year old, to one day work for a 'big' computer company, like Microsoft has become. It's good to see people were listening to you then as well. Thanks for not only have the voice to lead, but also the ears to listen, even way back then. I never did make it to work for the now infamous Microsoft, but my life was made better because of the products Microsoft created and manufactured over the years.Andy Chambliss

Hugo Albarracin

Data Coordinator | Business Intelligence & Data Engineering Expert | Advancing in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

1y

I agree with you that Bill Gates' letter is important because it raises the need to pay for software and promote a fair business model for the software industry. By paying for software, we avoid piracy and the spread of viruses and malware, which benefits both users and companies that develop software.It's true that Gates' letter was controversial at the time, but it's also important to note that it laid the groundwork for a fair and sustainable business model in the software industry. By paying for software, the value of developers' work is recognized and they are given the opportunity to continue innovating and improving their products.In summary, Bill Gates' letter is an important reminder of the importance of paying for software and promoting a fair business model for the software industry. By doing so, both users and companies benefit, and a sustainable and prosperous future for the software industry is ensured.

Adriana Ruiz Pecchio

Bioq Esp. Jefe de Dpto Nefrología y M.I- HNC- UNC

1y

Brillante, anticipado...Genial!

Sudha Reddy

Co-Founder and CMO of rava.ai

12mo

Dear Bill Gates, This is something that's not being said enough. With so many tools and hacks easily available, we all get used to stealing some of the things we consume. I am talking about myself and the number of times I must have watched a movie that's available for free vs paying for it or using a student version of tool I already have. The more we explain the importance of how this simple act of paying for some of the tools keeps the jobs for others or how it exponentially drives creativity, the more it might inspire everyone else. Social Media could be a good platform to communicate the message and spread it far and wide.

Nicolò Soresina

Chief Executive Officer presso Vittoria hub

1y

A proposito di Open Letters all'inizio di parabole e fasi industriali di disruptive digital innovation, quando qualcosa deve essere ancora messo a punto nel "modus operandi". Notevole l'esempio di quanto scrisse Bill Gates di suo pugno quando aveva 20 anni. A suo stesso dire in questo video fu un po' enfatica e guardandosi indietro l'avrebbe scritta diversamente. Ma il punto è che a nessuno a quei tempi venne in mente (fortunatamente) di vietare o bloccare l'utilizzo pionieristico e lo sviluppo del software ... Mi chiedo perchè oggi, con la nuova wave OpenAI debba essere diverso. A mio modesto avviso, si percorra piuttosto con esperienza e metodo rigoroso con i migliori strumenti tecnologici a disposizione della comunità scientifica globale e locale la strada del progresso, lasciando invalicata la sottile linea rossa che deve separare la Garanzia sull'Etica dell'Innovazione (ovvero la tutela dei diritti e dei dati fondamentali degli individui e delle società) dal Proibizionismo Digitale (che è invece espressione più drastica di negazione/veto nei confronti della ricerca e dell'adozione di nuove frontiere informatiche con potenziale di migliorare e arricchire il nostro futuro). Ieri, come oggi, ma soprattutto per domani.

Fateh Khan

CEO & Design Director at NASMAK Technologies | Executive Director at NSK Foundation | Public Speaker | Venture-Capitalist | Startup Coach

1y

It's fascinating to see how far the software industry has come since these early days! Your decision to stand up for the value of software development laid the foundation for the thriving tech ecosystem we have today. While hindsight might suggest toning it down, it's important to remember that passion and conviction often fuel innovation. Thanks for sharing this piece of history, it's a great reminder that even industry giants started small, and that standing up for what you believe in can lead to incredible outcomes. #ThrowbackThursday #SoftwareIndustry #microsoft