Bill Gates' Drugs Shame: How Billionaire Microsoft Co-Founder Had LSD Trip So Extreme it Left Him Fearing He Had Wiped Brain of His Memories — Like a Computer Deletion
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has opened up about an extreme LSD reaction while he was at Harvard.
Jan. 27 2025, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
Bill Gates had an LSD trip so extreme he feared the drug would wipe his memories.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the billionaire Microsoft co-founder, 69, experimented with the substance, a psychedelic drug that can cause hallucinations, at a party during his time at Harvard.
Gates feared the psychedelic drug would delete all the memories from his brain during the epic trip.
Speaking in his new memoir Source Code, Gates said: "At the height of the evening, a curious train of logic passed through my mind.
"On a computer you can delete a file and even wipe out all of your stored data.
"Since the brain is just a sophisticated computer, I thought, 'Hey, maybe I can command my brain to zero out all my memories.'
"But then I got worried that testing that notion might actually set it irrevocably into motion. Better not even think about it."
He added: "Taking a shower the next day, I ran through an inventory of my cherished memories, relieved to find that everything was intact. That would be one of the last times I would do LSD."
Gates also revealed he would be diagnosed with autism if he were a child in the present day.
Explaining in an interview ahead of the release of his memoir, the billionaire said: "This whole thing of Asperger's or on the spectrum is a fairly new thing, it used to be that autism was clearly identifiable.
"I have a behavior where I rock that bothers people, that's also common. So there's a bit of a match there.
"Looking back on that, because I didn't behave in a standard way, that deep concentration that got applied to math and science, that became a strength."
Gates took LSD at a party during his student days at Harvard where the tech billionaire admits he would been diagnosed as autistic in present day.
Gates opened up about his previously reported Boxing Day dinner with new president Donald Trump and their respective chiefs of staff.
Together, he said, they will work to fast-track vaccines in the way that Trump was able to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tech mogul and philanthropist also spoke about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now being in charge of America's health, and gave his thoughts on Elon Musk.
Musk has been given the reins of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Trump.
ICE reported 593 arrests on Friday.
Gates said he hadn't spoken to Musk directly since his ascendency amongst Trump's allies and that he "admired a lot of the work he has done".
According to Gates, the idea of DOGE could be a "valuable thing."
He said: "I think the idea that looking at government expenditures on a sort of zero base budgeting approach could be a valuable thing.
"I'm amongst the people that believe the deficit needs to be brought down, because otherwise it will create a financial problem for us. That effort could come up with some good things."
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Gates added that he did have some concerns over certain government departments being cut including HIV medicines.
He said: "I believe in HIV medicines, where the U.S. is keeping tens of millions of people alive.
"If you cut those off, not only would they die when we have a cure on its way, the negative feelings you'd have say in Africa would be worse than never having done that thing at all."
