Book Review: Source Code by Bill Gates
If you haven't realized from all my other reviews. I’m a big sucker for memoirs, especially when they’re about people in business, and even more when it's a business memoir about a person in tech. So when I got my hands on Bill Gates’ new memoir “Source Code,” I was all in.
I’ve always respected Gates as one of the pioneers of the tech world. But to be honest, I realized I was a bit ignorant about his upbringing and the early Microsoft days. Sure, I knew the basics: he dropped out of college, went to battle with Steve Jobs and Apple, and his computers always update at the worst times. But I hadn’t really gotten a look at Gates’ own personal story, and definitely not in his own words. That’s what made me excited to dive in.
This was the most personal account of Gates I had before reading this memoir
In “Source Code,” Gates gives us a window into his life, the influences that shaped him, and how he sees the evolution of tech and society. It’s fascinating, especially since I love following his annual book recommendations and all the innovative things he’s doing now. It’s like getting a behind-the-scenes look at someone whose impact stretches far beyond just the software world.
Source Code was one of those memoirs that hooked me from the very first page. You can really see how fantastic of a writer Bill Gates is, and how his lifelong love of reading shines through. From an early age, he was devouring books and that curiosity really shaped the way he saw the world.
What I found particularly fascinating is how much of his childhood personality and the quirks of his early life connected to the path he took into programming. I hadn’t really made that connection before, and it was eye-opening. It really made me look into my childhood and the similarities between our interests and eventual graduation into programming.
The book doesn’t dive deeply into the modern-day Microsoft we all know; instead, it focuses on the early childhood of Gates, how he got into programming, his numerous early business ventures, how he and Paul Allen starting building the early versions of Microsoft, and a personal take on the computer industry just as it was taking off.
It’s a different flavor than, say, my current favorite memoir, “The Ride of a Lifetime” by Bob Iger, which covers a whole career arc. This book is more about those early formative years and how he found his footing. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to build something yourself, the same way watching “The Social Network” might get someone pumped up about tech or how "The Wolf of Wallstreet" gets bankers excited to defraud people. It’s inspirational, it’s personal, and it’s got that unique Gates voice that just makes you want to keep pushing forward and be a better person in your own journey.
Source Code is a fantastic read. It’s a quick, engaging memoir that anyone who loves the history of tech and the giants who shaped the industry will thoroughly enjoy. It’s beautifully written, much like “Shoe Dog” in its own way, and it might just be even better for those of us who live and breathe tech. So if you’re looking for a bit of inspiration and a peek behind the curtain of one of tech’s most iconic figures, definitely give it a read.