HOW READING HELPED BILLIONAIRE BILL GATES BECOME A PHILANTHROPIST

Software pioneer Bill Gates's sole passion was Microsoft during his youth. However, in the last 1990s, he was struck with a mid-life crisis of sorts -- he wanted to do something more meaningful. The career switch was difficult, especially as he was at the pinnacle of conventional success. A lifelong habit of his helped him decipher what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

Gates recently opened up about this turning point in his life on Trevor Noah's podcast.

Bill Gates described himself as "monomaniacal" when he was between the age of 18 and 40. "Microsoft was everything," he said.

He was faced with an existential question: "What now?"

However, he didn't lose hope for a more meaningful life. He kept doing what he had been doing all his life -- consuming books, magazines, newspapers. His reading habit showed him the path he wanted to walk on for the rest of his life.

“What Now? With Trevor Noah” podcast. “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," he said.

In 1997, he and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates read an article about children dying in poor countries of diseases that can be cured easily in the United States. He couldn't forget the article. Finally in 2020, he stepped down as Microsoft's CEO and started focusing on philanthropy.

His habit of voracious reading helped him to research extensively, helping him decide the areas that needed his help the most.

The rest is history. Since 2000, his foundation has spent over $53.8 billion in fighting global health crises.

Bill Gates' has a net worth of 119 billion dollars, according to Forbes. He and his wife Melinda Gate ended their marriage in 2021. They are still the co-chair of the Gates Foundation.

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2023-12-27T07:06:32Z dg43tfdfdgfd