Bill Gates Earned Reputation As 'Office Bully' But Has Mellowed Out And Now Says: 'My 20-Year-Old Self Is So Disgusted With My Current Self'

When most people think of Bill Gates, they picture the bespectacled tech visionary who cofounded Microsoft, revolutionized personal computing and went on to dedicate his fortune to tackling some of the world's toughest problems. But the man behind the billions wasn't always known for his philanthropic heart. According to a 2021 article from Business Insider, Gates once had a reputation as an "office bully" during his early days at Microsoft.

Young Bill Gates was not the laid-back, sweater-wearing, vacation-taking man he is today. Former employees recall him as a fiery and demanding boss who didn't hold back his opinions – often loudly and colorfully. 

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According to a 2015 article published by The Week, he would shout at employees and criticize ideas he didn't like with phrases such as "That's the stupidest f***ing idea I've ever heard." He would even patrol the parking lot, memorizing employees' license plates to keep tabs on their work hours. 

In his 2012 memoir Idea Man, Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen detailed his tumultuous relationship with Gates, including a claim that Gates attempted to dilute Allen's stake in the company while he was battling cancer. Allen wrote, "My sinking morale sapped my enthusiasm for my work, which in turn could precipitate Bill's next attack." The allegations paint a picture of the high-pressure environment at Microsoft during its rise to dominance. It's a sobering reminder that the tech industry in the 1980s and 1990s, while groundbreaking, wasn't exactly a bastion of kindness and empathy.

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But Gates today couldn't be more different from the "tyrannical genius" of those early Microsoft days. He's the first to admit just how much he's changed, though not in a way that suggests regret. Reflecting on his younger self, Gates quipped during a Village Global event in 2019, "My 20-year-old self is so disgusted with my current self." Far from apologetic, this comment highlights just how radically his lifestyle has shifted.

"It really is true that I didn't believe in weekends; I didn't believe in vacations," Gates said at the event. His relentless work ethic didn't allow for luxuries like downtime, but that all began to change when he entered his 30s and started dating Melinda French, his now ex-wife. As their relationship grew, Gates started to loosen up, carving out time for vacations and moments of rest.

"Now I take lots of vacation," he admitted. "I was sure I would never fly anything but coach and, you know, now I have a plane." He described this shift in mindset as a "counter-revelation" and has gone so far as to say he can't imagine working to the extremes he once did. "I don't recommend it and I don't think most people would enjoy it," Gates said.

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These days, Gates spends less time in boardrooms and more time embracing his role as a loving grandfather. While his younger self might cringe at his current lifestyle, the older, wiser Gates seems to have no regrets about prioritizing balance and family over the nonstop grind.

The transformation from "office bully" to doting grandpa reminds us how much people can change. Gates isn't ashamed of who he was – after all, that relentless drive built Microsoft into a tech empire – but he's also not that person anymore. His story emphasizes the importance of growth, maturity and learning to let go of the need to always be the hardest worker in the room.

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