Bill Gates Turns 69: Five Career, Life and Health Lessons About Growing Old
From reading recommendations to innovations in longevity, here's a look at some of the top tips Bill Gates has offered up on the topic of growing old.
Bill Gates turns 69 today (Oct. 28). The tech leader was only 20 when he co-founded Microsoft (MSFT), the powerhouse tech company that makes up the bulk of his $105 billion wealth. These days, however, the billionaire has mostly stepped away from Microsoft, besides consulting the company as a “technology advisor.” Having left his full-time role at the company in 2008 and stepped away from its board in 2020, his primary focus has shifted to philanthropy—namely, giving away some $77.6 billion via the Gates Foundation—and investing in climate-focused technology solutions.
Career isn’t the only aspect of Gates’ life that has changed as he ages. “The questions I am asking myself at age 63 are very different from the ones I would have asked when I was in my 20s,” Gates said in a 2018 blog post. “Back then, an end-of-year assessment would amount to just one question: Is Microsoft software making the personal computing dream come true?” Now, he is more focused on family time, learning new things and developing friendships, he said. “These would have been laughable to me when I was 25, but as I get older, they are much more meaningful.”
From reading recommendations to innovations in longevity, here’s a look at some of the top tips Gates has offered on the topic of aging:
Cut yourself some slack
There’s no doubt that Gates worked hard in his youth. But, while giving a commencement speech to North Arizona University’s (NAU) forestry and engineering department in May 2023, the billionaire urged graduating students to make sure they take time for breaks. “You are not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack,” said Gates, describing the piece of advice as “the one I could have used the most.”
In the early days of Microsoft, Gates said he worked through vacations and weekends and pushed his employees to do the same, keeping track of who left early and stayed late at the office. “But as I got older—and especially once I became a father—I realized there is more to life than work,” he said, urging NAU’s graduating class to focus on relationships and celebrate successes. “Don’t wait as long as I did to learn this lesson.”
Hold off on retirement
Gates might be taking more vacations nowadays, but he’s nowhere near ready to retire. Stepping away from work “sounds awful,” he told CNBC last month. The tech entrepreneur said he wants to remain actively involved in the Gates Foundation and other ventures for “at least ten years, if my health allows,” but would ideally be working for another two or three decades if possible.
Gates said he’s following in the footsteps of Warren Buffett, who continues to head Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) despite being 94 years old. “My friend Warren Buffett still comes into the office six days a week,” he said. “So, I hope my health allows me to be like Warren.”
Don’t stop learning
The Microsoft co-founder has long made his love for reading public knowledge, regularly doling out book recommendations on his blog. So, it should come as no surprise that he sees reading as essential to his success. “You don’t really start getting old until you stop learning,” he told Time in 2017. “Reading fuels a sense of curiosity about the world, which I think helped drive me forward in my career and in the work that I do now with my foundation.”
In fact, Gates often receives books as birthday gifts. His favorite title to recommend to others is Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature, a 2011 book that explores how humanity has evolved to become less violent and more humane.
Take advantage of A.I.’s health applications
Gates has been outspoken about his belief in A.I.’s potential to change the justice system for the better and tackle climate change. The new technology could also transform the health of those over 50, according to the billionaire. “As you get older, you think about these things more,” he told AARP in September, encouraging older readers to run their MRIs and medical bills through A.I. “I know a lot about health terminology, but when I got an MRI, even I said, ‘Oh, that’s what that means.'”
A.I. will eventually have health capabilities that include summarizing doctor meetings, said Gates, who noted that new technologies and medical breakthroughs make 2024 the best time in history to turn 50 years or older. “Twenty years from now will be even better,” he added.
Be open to tech innovations
It isn’t just A.I. that shows potential for enhancing human lives as we age. During a February talk at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Gates pointed to innovations in longevity as an emerging area he is most excited about. “I know a lot of people who are working on longevity,” he said. When it comes to the question of why cells age, it’s now “pretty clear it’s an optional thing,” he added.
The idea of creating arbitrary longevity is a dilemma, albeit an interesting one, according to Gates. “I would love to understand the answer to the puzzle,” he said, although Gates is less sure about what to do with that answer. “For humanity, it’ll be kind of shaking change if we’re able to deliver on that.”
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