Bill Gates once snuck onto public buses for free computer access, later commissioned a $645M hydrogen-powered superyacht

Bill Gates used to sneak onto public buses to get access to computers, but he would later commission a $645 million hydrogen-powered superyacht that’s longer than 10 city buses combined.

The Microsoft co-founder and businessman is one of the richest men in the world, but he had humble beginnings.

In an Instagram post, he recalled how he would sneak out of his house at night to head to a computer lab.

Who could have guessed that those nightly excursions would lead to him nearly owning a superyacht?

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From buses to superyachts: The Bill Gates story

If you’re a billionaire and you want to let people know that you’ve made it, a superyacht seems like a good way to go.

After all, what says big bucks better than a floating palace?

Whether you’re a Saudi billionaire, Steve Jobs, or Max Verstappen, a superyacht makes for a nice status symbol.

But not every yacht owner grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Take Bill Gates.

Now, he didn’t grow up poor by any means – his father was a successful lawyer and his mother was a schoolteacher, so he had a upper-middle class upbringing.

Still, it couldn’t compare to the super luxurious lifestyle that he would soon find himself living.

In a recent Instagram post, the 69-year-old reflected on his earlier years growing up in Seattle, Washington.

“As a teenager, I learned a ton about the CDP-10 computer by filing bug reports at the Computer Center Corporation.

“The tricky part was sneaking out of my bedroom window late at night to get there,” the philanthropist wrote in the caption.

“After my parents went to bed, I would sometimes sneak out of my bedroom window,” Gates recalled.

Given that his bedroom was on the first floor of the house, it wasn’t too risky.

“I had to sneak out, because my friend, Paul Allen, and I had a night job at a Seattle computer company,” he continued.

“The bus was super cheap, so I took the bus a lot of the time.

“Two blocks down [from the stop] was the Computer Center Corporation.

“My parents never found out that I was sneaking out at night to go to work.”

While other teens were slipping out of their bedroom windows to go partying, Gates was earning a honest wage building up his programming skills.

The fruits of his labor: the hydrogen-powered Feadship Breakthrough

Gates didn’t endorse sneaking out late at night, but he said that it paid off.

“I probably should have stayed in bed, I couldn’t turn down any opportunity for computer time,” he said.

In his new book Source Code, the philanthropist expanded on this subject.

“We were kids…none of us had any real computer experience.

“Without that lucky break of free computer time – call it my first 500 hours – the next 9,500 hours might not have happened at all,” the Microsoft founder wrote.

If a young Gates missed the final bus at 2am, he would have to walk 45 minutes to get home.

What a difference a few decades and billions of dollars makes, huh?

Gates is now worth $107 billion and he has put much of his money towards philanthropic efforts – striving to eradicate diseases, reduce poverty, and boost education around the world.

But he’s also enjoyed his success through some material purchases, such as the Wayfinder, his $59 million vessel.

As impressive as the Wayfinder is, it paled in comparison to the Feadship Breakthrough.

This superyacht is hydrogen-powered and 390-feet long, equivalent to 10 city buses.

Not only is this a breakthrough – pardon the pun – in terms of sustainable boating, it’s also a magnificent seafarer.

With five decks above waterline and two below, it contains 14 balconies, seven fold-out platforms, a pool, a Jacuzzi, a steam room, and a library.

That last part is no doubt important for Gates, who is an avid reader.

The Breakthrough was designed by British studio RWD and was visualized as a townhouse at sea.

However, Gates ultimately didn’t take ownership of the boat.

But the hydrogen-powered yacht perfectly fits his ethos of sustainability and caring for the future of our world.

Whoever becomes its owner will be one lucky billionaire.

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