THE GATES EFFECT

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Co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen at age 19 — Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1975Wrote his first computer program at age 13 on a GE-225 mainframeMicrosoft's first product: a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800IBM licensed MS-DOS from Microsoft in 1980 — the deal that built an empireMicrosoft went public at $21 per share on March 13, 1986Became the world's youngest self-made billionaire at age 31 in 1987Net worth peaked at $101 billion during the dot-com boom of 1999Held the title of world's richest person for 13 of 16 years between 1995 and 2009Windows 95 sold 7 million copies in its first five weeksPredicted the internet's commercial rise in 'The Road Ahead' — 1995Predicted a global pandemic in a 2015 TED Talk — five years before COVID-19Predicted smartphones, social media, and price-comparison shopping in 1999Co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000The Gates Foundation is the world's largest private charitable foundationHas donated over $59.5 billion through the Gates Foundation since 2000Signed the Giving Pledge in 2010 — committed to donating 95% of his wealthThe Foundation has helped vaccinate over 1 billion children worldwideStepped down as Microsoft CEO in January 2000 to focus on softwareLeft the Microsoft board entirely in March 2020Co-founded TerraPower in 2006 to develop next-generation nuclear reactorsTerraPower broke ground on its first commercial reactor in Wyoming — 2023Co-founded Breakthrough Energy in 2015 to accelerate global clean energy investmentAwarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama — November 2016Received India's Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian honor — 2015Harvard gave Gates an honorary degree in 2007 — 32 years after he dropped outReads approximately 50 books per yearHas made over 25 documented predictions that have proven correctMicrosoft surpassed a $500 billion market cap in 1999The Gates Foundation has committed over $21 billion to global health programsAuthored three books: The Road Ahead · Business @ the Speed of Thought · How to Avoid a Climate DisasterCo-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen at age 19 — Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1975Wrote his first computer program at age 13 on a GE-225 mainframeMicrosoft's first product: a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800IBM licensed MS-DOS from Microsoft in 1980 — the deal that built an empireMicrosoft went public at $21 per share on March 13, 1986Became the world's youngest self-made billionaire at age 31 in 1987Net worth peaked at $101 billion during the dot-com boom of 1999Held the title of world's richest person for 13 of 16 years between 1995 and 2009Windows 95 sold 7 million copies in its first five weeksPredicted the internet's commercial rise in 'The Road Ahead' — 1995Predicted a global pandemic in a 2015 TED Talk — five years before COVID-19Predicted smartphones, social media, and price-comparison shopping in 1999Co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000The Gates Foundation is the world's largest private charitable foundationHas donated over $59.5 billion through the Gates Foundation since 2000Signed the Giving Pledge in 2010 — committed to donating 95% of his wealthThe Foundation has helped vaccinate over 1 billion children worldwideStepped down as Microsoft CEO in January 2000 to focus on softwareLeft the Microsoft board entirely in March 2020Co-founded TerraPower in 2006 to develop next-generation nuclear reactorsTerraPower broke ground on its first commercial reactor in Wyoming — 2023Co-founded Breakthrough Energy in 2015 to accelerate global clean energy investmentAwarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama — November 2016Received India's Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian honor — 2015Harvard gave Gates an honorary degree in 2007 — 32 years after he dropped outReads approximately 50 books per yearHas made over 25 documented predictions that have proven correctMicrosoft surpassed a $500 billion market cap in 1999The Gates Foundation has committed over $21 billion to global health programsAuthored three books: The Road Ahead · Business @ the Speed of Thought · How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

Economics

3 verified predictions

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Economics✓ Verified

Predicted 2010Verified 2018

Mobile Phones Would Provide Banking to the Unbanked Billions

In his 2010 Gates Foundation Annual Letter, Gates predicted that mobile phones would become the primary banking tool for billions of people in developing nations who lacked access to traditional banks. He specifically highlighted Africa and South Asia as regions where this transformation would first take root.

Economics✓ Verified

Predicted 1999Verified 2007

Online Job Boards Would Transform Hiring and Eliminate Newspaper Classifieds

Gates predicted in 'Business @ the Speed of Thought' that the internet would dramatically change how companies hire — moving recruitment from newspaper classifieds and headhunters to online platforms where employers and candidates connect directly and efficiently.

Economics✓ Verified

Predicted 1999Verified 2008

Online Bill Payment Would Eliminate Paper Checks

Gates predicted in 'Business @ the Speed of Thought' that consumers would shift to paying bills online, eliminating much of the paper check and physical mail infrastructure. He saw digital payment as inevitable once trust and security issues were resolved.