Jobs Suggested to Bill Gates That Trying LSD Could Have Benefited Microsoft

Bill Gates, one of Microsoft’s co-founders, once revealed that he didn’t really get a chance to fully enjoy the success of his company, even after becoming a billionaire. He shared that it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the realization of his success truly hit him. “I wouldn’t say that I felt comfortable that we were successful until about 1998 or so,” Gates mentioned. Reflecting on those days, he added, “I thought I was one mistake away from death until then.”

In an intriguing insight from the late Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, he commented on Gates’ leadership style and how he approached launching new products at Microsoft. As reported by Fortune, Jobs had once remarked, “He wished I’d take acid because then maybe I would have had more taste in my design of my products,” Gates recalled in an interview with The Independent. Responding humorously, Gates quipped back, “Look, I got the wrong batch.”

Reflecting on their dynamic, Bill and Steve shared a rather complex friendship. Gates not only played a pivotal role in developing software for Apple’s earlier computers but was instrumental in reviving Apple in 1997 when he invested up to $150 billion, preventing its financial collapse.

Steve Jobs was celebrated for his remarkable design and marketing acumen, famously launching game-changing devices like the iPhone and iMac. He saw these as areas in which Gates didn’t quite match up, though Gates was certainly closing the gap with his technical expertise and depth of knowledge.

Gates candidly acknowledged, “I got the coding batch, and this guy got the marketing-design batch, so good for him. Because his talents and mine—other than being kind of an energetic leader, and pushing the limits—they didn’t overlap much.”

Meanwhile, Microsoft was busy building its cloud computing empire, a decision that has played a crucial role in the company’s monumental market valuation, soaring past $3 trillion. The tech behemoth also focused on perfecting its Microsoft Office suite, with stalwarts like Microsoft Word and Excel becoming household names. However, these product launches didn’t seem to align with what Steve Jobs appreciated in the world of tech innovation.

In a rather surprising admission, Gates also shared with The Independent his past experimentation with drugs before Microsoft came into being. “I thought maybe I would look cool, and some girl would think that was interesting. It didn’t succeed, so I gave it up,” Gates humorously concluded.