Microsoft at 50: Bill Gates shares heartfelt tribute with rare throwbacks from his ‘awkward photoshoot’ days

Microsoft stands as one of the five global Big Tech companies.

Half a century after its inception, Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 4, 2025. The company, which began as a modest venture founded by two childhood friends, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, in 1975, has since evolved into one of the world’s leading technology giants. To commemorate the milestone, Microsoft co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates shared a heartfelt tribute, complete with rare photographs and personal reflections on the company’s storied journey.

Gates, who led Microsoft as CEO until 2000, took to Instagram to post a video montage featuring throwback pictures from the early years of the company. The reel opened with Gates sitting on a couch, capturing a selfie, accompanied by a caption: “Unfortunately, I’ll never feel cool again because this was me in the early Microsoft days.” The video then cut to various images of a young Gates dressed in the fashion of the era.

“Happy 50th birthday, @microsoft,” he wrote. “Thanks for the memories—and awkward photo shoots.”

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On his personal blog, Gates Notes, the billionaire reflected further on the significance of the anniversary. “Although I am excited to celebrate the anniversary, reaching this milestone feels bittersweet,” he wrote. “I always love reflecting back on Microsoft’s history and dreaming about its future. But it’s also hard to believe that such a significant piece of my life has been around for a half-century!”

A week prior to the anniversary, Gates shared another nostalgic post recalling his college days at Harvard University. He shared a video of Currier House, the dormitory where he lived as a student. “Living in Currier House in college was the best experience. You could have a hamburger at every meal, play poker whenever you wanted, and even start a little side project you end up naming Microsoft,” he said.

Born William Henry Gates III in 1955 in Seattle, Gates began writing software programs at the age of 13. He dropped out of Harvard during his junior year to launch Microsoft with Paul Allen. The duo went on to create the MS-DOS operating system, later rebranded as Windows, which would come to dominate the global market for office computing.

Over the decades, Gates built a reputation as a formidable and, at times, ruthless leader. Critics argued that he wielded Microsoft’s market dominance unfairly. These concerns culminated in the United States government pursuing and winning a landmark antitrust case against the company in the late 1990s.

In 2000, Gates stepped down as CEO, handing over the reins to Steve Ballmer, a fellow Harvard alumnus and longtime colleague. Gates then shifted his focus to philanthropy, working through the charitable foundation he co-founded with his then-wife, Melinda.

He formally resigned from Microsoft’s board of directors in 2020, shortly after the company acknowledged that Gates had previously engaged in an "intimate" relationship with an employee, a matter which had been investigated by the board.

Today, Microsoft stands as one of the five global Big Tech companies, its legacy shaped not only by Gates and Allen but also by influential leaders like Ballmer and current CEO Satya Nadella.

To mark the 50-year milestone, Microsoft launched a special section on its official website highlighting the company’s journey. The digital tribute outlines key milestones, growth phases, and innovations that have defined Microsoft over the decades. It also looks ahead, presenting a vision for the next 50 years, during which the company aims to continue translating technological innovation into long-term value for its users.