Bill Gates Says His Love For Reading Played A Crucial Role In His Shift From Tech To Global Philanthropy

Microsoft MSFT co-founder Bill Gates has highlighted the importance of reading in facilitating his career transition from technology to philanthropy.

What Happened: Gates, a renowned bibliophile, disclosed on the “What Now? With Trevor Noah” podcast that his love for reading was instrumental in his career metamorphosis, as reported by CNBC.

“I was lucky enough that as other people took over Microsoft, I got to go and read and learn about all the health challenges, why children die,” stated Gates.

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In 1997, three years before stepping down as Microsoft’s CEO, Gates and his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, came across an article about the global death toll of children due to easily curable diseases. This information significantly impacted Gates when he resigned from Microsoft in 2000 and subsequently devoted his resources to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The foundation, since 2000, has allocated $53.8 billion to fight against global health crises such as AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Gates asserts that their efforts have helped halve the number of deaths of children under five years old despite critiques regarding transparency and oversight.

Gates asserts that his reading habit has not only ignited his curiosity about the world but has also influenced his career and the work he does with his foundation significantly.

Why It Matters: Gates’ inclination towards reading has been a well-documented part of his personal and professional life. He has often recommended books to his followers, indicating his belief in the transformative power of literature. Gates has been recommending books for summer reading for the past decade. However, he expanded his recommendations to include a TV series and a collection of songs, indicating his diverse interests.

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