Bill Gates has shared personal stories from his childhood and teenage years in his memoir, Source Code, the first book in a series about his life. In an interview with People magazine before the book’s release, the Microsoft co-founder opened up about some lesser-known aspects of his youth. At 69, Gates reflected on his teenage years, including experimenting with alcohol and drugs. Many of these experiences involved his childhood friend and future Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen.
One of the most surprising revelations was that Gates tried LSD a few times, including once during his high school’s “senior skip day”—a tradition where seniors take an unofficial day off. He recalled still feeling the effects of the drug the next day while getting a dental procedure. Laughing about it, he jokingly blamed Paul Allen and musician Jimi Hendrix for influencing his choices.
Although he experimented with LSD about four or five times, Gates made it clear he wouldn’t recommend it. He also admitted to smoking marijuana in high school, hoping it would make him look cool and impress girls. “It didn’t work,” he admitted. “But I tried.”
Gates eventually stopped using drugs altogether in his early 20s, realizing he preferred to keep his mind sharp and focused. “I like my brain to work logically,” he said. “Even marijuana made my thinking feel a bit sloppy, so I gave it up.”
He also shared a memory of his first experience with alcohol—he drank too much, ended up throwing up, and passed out in his school’s teachers’ lounge.
Bill Gates also shared a lighthearted exchange he once had with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs about drug use. Jobs jokingly suggested that taking LSD might have improved Gates’ design skills. Gates, laughingly replied, “I got the wrong batch—I got the coding batch, and he got the marketing-design batch.” He acknowledged Jobs’ exceptional talent in design and marketing, qualities he always admired.
Gates also mentioned that he found Michael Pollan’s book How to Change Your Mind fascinating, as it explores the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs. He expressed interest in the idea that these substances could help treat conditions like depression or OCD. However, he highlighted the importance of caution, noting that medical use is very different from recreational drug use.
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