Bill Gates says he believes he's be diagnosed with autism if he were a kid today
Terms like 'neurodivergence' weren't widely recognised
Bill Gates believes he would likely be diagnosed on the autism spectrum if he were a child today.
The Microsoft co-founder shared his observation in his memoir: Source Code: My Beginnings. The origin story was released last Tuesday (4 February).
Back when Gates was a child, the idea that people process information in different ways wasn’t 'widely understood'. And terms like "neurodivergent" were only popularised in the 1990s.
The 69-year-old admitted that his social awareness took time to develop but has 'come with age, with experience, with children, and I'm better for it.'
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"If I were growing up today, I probably would be diagnosed on the autism spectrum," the billionaire wrote in an excerpt shared by The Wall Street Journal.
"My parents had no guideposts or textbooks to help them grasp why their son became so obsessed with certain projects, missed social cues, and could be rude or inappropriate without seeming to notice his effect on others."
Now, probably accounting for his high status, Gates socialises in high circles.
In an interview with CBS News, he shared that U2 singer Bono - who he collaborates with on global health projects - had once gifted him a new all-electric Fiat RED for his birthday.
Despite his challenges, the philanthropist wrote that he wouldn't trade his brain "for anything".
Expanding on his point in an interview with The Times, he said: "If they ever invent a pill where they could say, 'OK, your social skills will be normal but your ability to concentrate would also be normal', I wouldn't take the pill.
"Maybe I am forgetting how painful it was but I needed my neurodiversity to write that software."
The software he was referring to is his first code that he wrote as a young teenager - one that would later be used for Microsoft.
The term neurodivergent refers to people whose brains function differently from what is considered normal (or neurotypical). It can relate to an array of conditions including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia.
According to the NHS, roughly one in seven people are estimated to be neurodivergent.
Many high-profile figures like Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk have spoken out about their neurodivergence.
In 2021, Musk revealed that he had Asperger syndrome, which is a form of autism now recognised as part of the broader autism spectrum.
Speaking of Musk, the two billionaires have had their fair share of back-and-forth online.
While Musk has taken a few jabs at Gates, Gates has made it clear he's still open to working with him in the future.