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Reflective Gates Waxes Nostalgic

On eve of retirement, he narrates slideshow for Fortune on history of Microsoft

By Laila Weir,  Newser User

Posted Jun 26, 2008 9:00 PM CDT

(Newser) – Pictures of Bill Gates the child in a football uniform and alongside Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in their high school computer room are among 15 shots in an exclusive Fortune photo essay. Gates himself narrates the slideshow chronicling Microsoft’s roots, through its founding and 1986 IPO. Other shots show the first Microsoft business card and Gates signing autographs for Harley-Davidson fans in 1991.

“This is when I was in eighth grade and first figuring out how to use the computer,” says Gates of the picture with Allen. “A bunch of kids came down and were fascinated, but the two who really stuck to it the most were Paul and I. People thought it was strange that Paul kept talking to a kid who was two years younger.”

In this 1978 photo provided by Microsoft, the 11 people who started Microsoft Corp., are photographed in Albuquerque, N.M., just prior to moving the company to the Seattle area. Gates is bottom left.
In this 1978 photo provided by Microsoft, the 11 people who started Microsoft Corp., are photographed in Albuquerque, N.M., just prior to moving the company to the Seattle area. Gates is bottom left.   (AP Photo/Microsoft, file)
Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp., is shown in this 1984 photo.
Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp., is shown in this 1984 photo.   (AP Photo)
In this May 22, 1990, file photo, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates introduces the company's Windows software in New York.
In this May 22, 1990, file photo, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates introduces the company's Windows software in New York.   (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, file)
In this 2008 file photo, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates walks off stage during his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
In this 2008 file photo, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates walks off stage during his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)
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