Bill Gates Shares Shocking ‘Untold Stories’ of His Wild Youth and Microsoft’s Rise

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is peeling back the curtain on his early years in a candid new memoir, Source Code, set for release on February 4. The book offers a rare glimpse into his rebellious youth, his deep friendship with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and the turbulent road to launching one of the world’s most powerful tech empires.

Before Gates became synonymous with wealth and innovation, he was a reckless teenager with a penchant for risk-taking. One of the book’s more surprising revelations is his 1977 arrest in Albuquerque for running a stop sign while driving without a license. “I loved pushing limits,” Gates recalls, admitting that he frequently sped through the winding roads of Sandia Mountain in his Porsche 911.

His high school days at Seattle’s elite Lakeside School were equally filled with boundary-pushing. In a now-infamous prank, he used his toes to dial his crush, Vicki, and ask her to prom—a request she declined. The rejection led him down a different path that night.

Gates and Paul Allen shared a deep love for music, particularly Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced? The album became more than just a soundtrack; it was a challenge. “Paul would quote the chorus to me all the time,” Gates writes. “‘Are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced? Well, I have.’”

For years, Gates resisted Allen’s attempts to introduce him to psychedelics. But during his senior year, on a class trip to Bainbridge Island, he finally gave in. “I decided to see what it was all about,” he admits, describing a night of swirling lights and altered perceptions. The timing, however, proved disastrous. “I had dental surgery the next morning and spent the entire appointment questioning if it was real or a hallucination,” he writes. “I vowed that if I ever dropped acid again, I’d be more strategic.”

Gates’ memoir delves deeply into his friendship with Allen, whom he met in seventh grade. Together, they built Microsoft in 1975, a company that would revolutionize personal computing. “Paul was a brilliant technologist and philanthropist who wanted to accomplish great things, and did,” Gates reflects.

Allen’s death in 2018 still weighs on Gates. “We had our ups and downs, but Paul’s impact on my life and on technology cannot be overstated.”

While Source Code offers plenty of sensational stories, it notably omits some of the more controversial aspects of Gates’ later years. His friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, his high-profile divorce from Melinda French Gates, and his extramarital affair with a Microsoft employee are absent. The book, Gates writes, is the first in a planned three-part series, leaving those topics for another time.

Gates also weighs in on today’s political climate. He recounts a dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, calling the experience “intriguing” but refusing to elaborate. He doesn’t hold back, however, when discussing Elon Musk’s political maneuvering. In an interview with The Times of London, Gates blasts Musk’s support for right-wing leaders. “It’s insane that he has the power to destabilize entire countries,” he says.

Gates, now 69, has come a long way from his high-speed escapades and LSD-fueled adventures. Today, his Gates Foundation, recently renamed after Melinda’s departure, boasts a $75 billion endowment focused on global healthcare and education.

Still, Source Code serves as a reminder that even the world’s most powerful figures started somewhere—sometimes with a bottle of cheap scotch and a questionable decision.