Bill Gates is a name that probably needs no introduction. But if there was a way to introduce the man, he would probably be a guy who revolutionised the computing industry when he co-founded Microsoft back in 1975. More than 3 decades later, Bill Gates is still a name that everyone can identify with. When the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did his fourth ‘Ask Me Anything‘ on Reddit, more than 8000 questions were asked.
Here are some of Bill’s responses and 8 juicy facts about his personal life that not many may know about.
1. Bill won’t spend on himself, but he will spend on his wife.
“I don’t like spending a lot of money on clothes or jewelry (for me—I do like to buy nice things for my wife).”
2. Bill actually attended classes he never signed up for at Harvard to learn more.
“I decided that I would be different and never attend any class I was signed up for but always attend a class I wasn’t signed up for. This worked out in a funny way when the final exam for a Combinatorics class (which I signed up for) was given at the same table as my Brain studies class (which I attended and did not sign up for). My friends from Brain studies thought it was very strange that I sat on the wrong side of the table and took the Combinatorics exam even when I was the most vocal student in the Brain class.”
This is actually his fondest memory at Harvard.
3. Bill loves reading so much that sometimes sleep is compromised at night.
“It is worth learning how to read a bit faster. I am not sure what the best course for that is nowadays. I had a friend who took Evelyn Wood and told me what they said.
I have a rule that I always finish a book once I start it. This might now work for everyone. I only read 2 books at a time – in fact usually just one unless one of them is so complex I need to mix things up. I read a lot at night and my biggest problem is that I stay up to late and regret it the next day when I haven’t had as much sleep as I would like.”
4. Bill loves having sushi and Thai food for lunch.
“I love both sushi and Thai food. Since I like them better than my family does I have them for lunch a lot.”
5. Bill currently uses a Surface Book.
“I just recently switched to the Surface Book. I only detach the screen a few times a week and I like the keyboard better than my previous Surface.”
So for all of you who have a Surface Book, congrats, that’s one common thing you share with one of the richest people in the world.
6. Bill’s advice for life: stay curious, read a lot, and learn new things.
“I think the value of getting a great education – that is going to college – is easy to underestimate. The most interesting jobs require a college education. The STEM related jobs are probably the most interesting although they are not for everyone. The value of staying curious – reading a lot and learning new things even after college is also underestimated.”
7. Bill doesn’t dance as much anymore, but he jumps at the chance at weddings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-vCbbLaD2o
“Jimmy Fallon had me dance in a video but the hard stuff was not done by me. When I am at weddings I get to dance.”
8. Bill considers marrying his wife Melissa among his top best decisions in life.
“You are correct! I would put (marrying Melissa) at the top (of my list). Deciding to work on software was a good decision but that just crept up on me rather than being some choice.”
9. He’d pick up that $40,000 on the sidewalk.
“Since our Foundation can basically save a life for every $1,000 we spend I would pick it up since that would be enough to save 40 lives which is a big deal.”
Intrigued? You can check out more interesting answers from him here.
(Feature image from Gatesnotes)
