Gates looked back at a pivotal point in 1975 when he and his late friend Paul Allen took a leap of faith — and a major shortcut.

Founder shares 4K Altair BASIC source ahead of 50th anniversary Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has shared the 1975 source code for Altair BASIC.… The code was the foundation on which Microsoft was built.

However, the tech giant lacks its own proprietary silicon chips and relies on other companies to produce these essential AI model components. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft’s other AI investments will be enough to uphold its legacy for another 50 years — or if it will fall behind other AI companies.