Dropped out of Harvard University to co-found Microsoft
Gates enrolled at Harvard College in 1973, studying mathematics and computer science, before dropping out in his sophomore year to co-found Microsoft with Paul Allen. The decision came after Allen showed him a magazine cover story on the MITS Altair 8800 and both men believed the window to commercialize a BASIC interpreter would close if they waited. Gates later said he was always confident he could return to finish his degree, and Harvard awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws in 2007.
Source: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/06/gates-gets-his-harvard-degree-finally/
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February 2026
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