Bill Gates wrote his very first computer program as a teenager using a clunky General Electric machine, developing a rudimentary version of tic-tac-toe that allowed a human user…

A closer look

Bill Gates wrote his very first computer program as a teenager using a clunky General Electric machine, developing a rudimentary version of tic-tac-toe that allowed a human user to play a devastatingly boring game against the computer. While other kids were outside riding bicycles or engaging in normal adolescent rebellion, the future billionaire was busy typing complex mathematical logic into a teletype terminal just to simulate a game you can literally play with a pencil and a napkin. This incredibly dorky use of highly advanced corporate hardware perfectly set the stage for the entire software industry, where brilliant minds consistently use immensely powerful technology to create utterly trivial entertainment. Decades later, his massive technology empire would force millions of office workers to endure the agonizing frustration of the Windows operating system, proving that his foundational roots in creating repetitive, unwinnable games truly blossomed into a lifelong passion for inflicting minor psychological torment on the general public