Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates continues to cherish the groundbreaking computer code he wrote 50 years ago, which played a pivotal role in launching the tech giant. Despite its simplicity compared to today’s advanced AI systems, the code was instrumental in Microsoft’s creation in April 1975—a milestone the company will celebrate this Friday.
In a blog post, Gates reminisced about how he and his late high school friend Paul Allen embarked on this journey after reading about the Altair 8800 in Popular Electronics magazine. This minicomputer, powered by an Intel chip, inspired them to contact Altair’s maker, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, and convince CEO Ed Roberts that they had developed software to control the hardware—despite not having written the code yet.
Gates and Allen quickly got to work, adapting the BASIC programming language from Dartmouth College to make it compatible with the Altair. After two months of intense effort, Gates completed the code that became the Altair’s first operating system. He described it as “the coolest code I’ve ever written,” even offering the original program for download.
This code laid the groundwork for Microsoft’s success, eventually leading to the creation of software staples like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the Windows operating system, which remains dominant in the PC market.
Gates reflected on this achievement as part of a nostalgic journey ahead of his 70th birthday in October. This includes the release of his memoir, which delves into his early life and complex relationship with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Gates also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the philanthropic foundation he established after stepping down as Microsoft’s CEO in 2000. Under CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has flourished, with a market value of around $2.8 trillion.
“Fifty years is a long time,” Gates remarked. “It’s crazy that the dream came true.”