10 Surprising Facts About Bill Gates As A Kid, Revealed In His New Memoir

Few figures in modern history have had an impact as profound as Bill Gates, yet the story of his formative years—the childhood that forged a technology titan—remains a source of deep curiosity. As of December 13, 2025, the most up-to-date and compelling insights into his early life come directly from Gates himself, particularly through his recent memoir, *Source Code: My Beginnings*. This book pulls back the curtain on the "misfit" kid from Seattle who was small for his age, fiercely competitive, and constantly at war with his parents, all before he ever typed the first line of code that would change the world. The journey from a bright but rebellious child to a co-founder of Microsoft is a fascinating study in how early environment, privilege, and a singular obsession can combine to create a global phenomenon.

The information below details the critical experiences, family dynamics, and little-known ventures that shaped William Henry Gates III, from his early passion for reading encyclopedias to the groundbreaking computer access he received at Lakeside School, which ultimately set him on the path to the microcomputer revolution.

The Complete Biography and Family Profile of William Henry Gates III (Bill Gates)

Bill Gates, born William Henry Gates III, was raised in an upper-middle-class family in Seattle, Washington. His family environment was intellectually stimulating and highly competitive, a trait that would define his professional life.

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• Full Name: William Henry Gates III
• Nickname: Trey (as he was the fourth William in his family line, though known as William Gates III)
• Date of Birth: October 28, 1955
• Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington, U.S.
• Father: William H. Gates II (Bill Sr.), a prominent attorney.
• Mother: Mary Maxwell Gates, a community volunteer and the first female president of the United Way of King County.
• Siblings: Gates has two sisters: an older sister, Kristianne (Kristi) Gates, and a younger sister, Libby Gates.
• Early Education: Attended public elementary school before enrolling in the exclusive Lakeside School at age 13.
• Higher Education: Enrolled at Harvard College in 1973 but famously dropped out in 1975 to co-found Microsoft.

The 'Misfit' and Rebellious Teenage Years

Contrary to the image of a perfectly disciplined prodigy, Bill Gates's childhood was marked by intense friction and a deep sense of being an outsider. His recent reflections, particularly in his memoir *Source Code: My Beginnings*, offer a candid look at this challenging period.

A Child Obsessed with Learning

Even at a young age, Gates displayed an extraordinary intellectual curiosity. He was known to be a voracious reader, a habit that quickly progressed beyond typical children's books.

• Encyclopedia Reader: By the age of eight, Gates reportedly began reading entire encyclopedias for pleasure, absorbing vast amounts of information.
• Competitive Nature: The Gates family environment encouraged competition, whether it was in sports, board games, or intellectual debates. This fostered a win-at-all-costs attitude that later translated into his business strategy at Microsoft.
• Physical Stature: He was small for his age, a factor that contributed to him feeling like a "misfit" and being bullied during his early school years.

Clashing with His Parents

The transition to adolescence brought a period of significant tension between Gates and his parents, William Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates. The young Gates felt a profound need for control and independence, which often led to confrontation.

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Gates has openly discussed this "rebellious" teenage phase, acknowledging that he "butted heads" with his parents and was often "at war" with them over his behavior and attitude.

His parents, concerned about his intense focus and occasional disobedience, even sought counseling to help manage their son's difficult personality. This period highlights that the future world-changer was, at one point, a deeply troubled and misunderstood teenager struggling to find his place in the world.

The Pivotal Moment: Computers at Lakeside School

The single most important turning point in Bill Gates's childhood was his enrollment in the Lakeside School, an exclusive preparatory school in Seattle. It was here, in 1968, that he first encountered a computer—a rare and transformative experience for a student at that time.

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The school's access to this technology was not a given. The Lakeside Mothers Club famously held a garage sale to raise the funds necessary to lease a teletype terminal and purchase computer time. This seemingly small, grassroots effort provided the spark for the entire microcomputer revolution.

The First Code and the PDP-10

Gates and his future business partner, Paul Allen, quickly became inseparable, spending countless hours in the computer room. They were so engrossed that they often skipped other classes, using the Teletype Model 33 Terminal to connect to a massive PDP-10 minicomputer owned by the University of Washington.

Gates has described the experience as being "unleashed," a sentiment that suggests a complete freedom to explore a new, rule-based world that perfectly suited his logical and controlling nature.

• First Program: Gates's first program was a version of Tic-Tac-Toe, which allowed users to play against the machine.
• Programming Languages: The boys learned to code in early, high-level languages like BASIC and FORTRAN.
• The Teacher: The school's math and science teacher, Fred Wright, played a crucial, albeit unintentional, role by simply allowing the boys unrestricted access, even though he had limited computer experience himself.

The Pre-Microsoft Venture: Traf-O-Data

Before the founding of Microsoft in 1975, the teenage duo of Bill Gates and Paul Allen had already launched their first commercial venture, a little-known company that demonstrated their entrepreneurial spirit and technical prowess.

The Birth of Traf-O-Data

In the early 1970s, Gates and Allen, along with a third partner, Paul Gilbert, formed a partnership called Traf-O-Data.

The company’s objective was to create a system that could read the raw data from traffic counters—those rubber tubes stretched across roads—and process it into useful reports for city engineers.

This was a complex task, as it required them to write software to analyze the paper tape data. Although the venture was short-lived and ultimately not a huge financial success, it was a vital learning experience.

• First Commercial Software: Their first paid software project was developing a class scheduling system for Lakeside School, which they sold for a fee.
• First Business Model: Traf-O-Data was the first attempt by Gates and Allen to use their programming skills to solve a real-world business problem and make a profit.
• The Lesson: The experience taught them the complexities of running a business, managing a product, and dealing with clients—all lessons that proved invaluable when they later founded Microsoft.

The teenage years of Bill Gates were a crucible of intense intellectual drive, a rebellious spirit, and a serendipitous exposure to the fledgling world of computing. His childhood, marked by the competitive environment of his home and the freedom of the Lakeside computer room, set the stage for one of the greatest technological and philanthropic careers in history. The recent insights from his memoir, *Source Code: My Beginnings*, confirm that the foundations of the Microsoft founder were laid not in a garage of perfect focus, but in a chaotic, competitive, and utterly unique adolescence.