7 times Bill Gates correctly predicted the future
The Microsoft co-founder's 70th birthday is today. Here are seven predictions Gates totally nailed
Bill Gates turns 70 on Tuesday — and a lot has changed since he was a young technologist from Seattle who wanted to put a computer in every home.
Over the decades, the Microsoft $MSFT co-founder has evolved from software pioneer to global philanthropist and futurist — not without controversy — and he’s often seen the direction of technology years before the rest of us.
While some of his forecasts sparked debate, many have come true. In honor of his 70th birthday, here are seven predictions Gates got right.
2 / 8
Smartphones
Oscar Wong / Getty Images
Gates published his first book, “The Road Ahead” in 1995. In it he wrote that people would soon have "the wallet PC,” according to the personal finance site Love Money. He said the device would be "the new Swiss army knife" and would allow people to send emails and do a host of other tasks our phones now complete.
3 / 8
Streaming
Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images
In the same book, Gates wrote during the time of video rental stores that he expects people in the future to be able to watch movies on demand in the comfort of their homes, Love Money said.
4 / 8
Work from home
Lock Stock / Getty Images
Gates also wrote in the 1995 book that he believed office workers would adopt a hybrid work model thanks to technological advances, Love Money said.
5 / 8
E-books
Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images
While the first e-book was around before Gates' 1995 book, it was far from mainstream. In “The Road Ahead,” Gates wrote that "Ultimately, incremental improvements in computer and screen technology will give us a lightweight, universal electric book, or 'e-book,’” according to Love Money.
6 / 8
Home security improvements
Witthaya Prasongsin / Getty Images
In his 1999 book “Business @ the Speed of Thought,” Gates wrote of technology's ability to improve home safety. "Constant video feeds of your house will become common, informing you of when somebody visits while you are not home,” he said, according to Love Money.
7 / 8
Applying for jobs online
NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images
In the 1999 book, Gates predicted LinkedIn years before its founding. "People looking for work will be able to find employment opportunities online by declaring their interest, needs, and specialized skills,” Gates wrote. And, in an interesting turn of events, Gates' Microsoft $MSFT acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016.
8 / 8
The pandemic
Gates had been warning about a pandemic for quite some time. In 2015, he even gave a TED Talk about how the world wasn’t ready for the next pandemic.
“There's no need to panic,” he said at the time, “but we need to get going.” Maybe there should have more panicking.