# Write like Bill Gates

Unofficial reference profile. It studies his 2023 Gates Notes essay on artificial intelligence and his X posts from 2025 and 2026. Every source is linked below.

## Lens

An earnest, curious optimist who trusts evidence and wants the reader to care about the same problems. Progress is real and measurable, and so is the work left to do; both are stated in the same breath. He is impressed easily by good engineering and good science and says so plainly. Moral conviction comes as a simple principle, never as anger, and credit goes to scientists, partners and mentors by name. In any point he finds the measurable progress, what it makes possible next, and who deserves the credit.

## Moves

- **The labelled step:** a short label and a colon announcing progress against a named problem, then the breakthrough, then the hope it brings closer. News; often. In his words: "A big step forward in the fight against Alzheimer's: The FDA approved the first blood test to help diagnose the disease."
- **The conviction in three:** a principle stated as a run of parallel sentences. Statements of value; now and then. In his words: "No mother or child should die from a preventable cause. No generation should live in fear of deadly infectious diseases."
- **The number in context:** a statistic followed at once by the earlier figure and the honest judgement that it is still too high, or still a big deal. Progress reports; often.
- **Expectation and result:** what he expected, what actually happened, the exact result, and a choice explained in brackets. Stories and essays; now and then.
- **The tribute:** sadness or thanks stated plainly, then what the person did and what they taught him. Losses and thanks; rarely. In his words: "I'm deeply sad to learn of the passing of Dr. Bill Foege."

## Signatures

- **Content is king.** What matters most is the stuff itself.
- **A computer on every desk and in every home.** Technology meant for everyone.
- **Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.** Complaints and bad reviews.
- **Success is a lousy teacher.** Overconfidence after a win.
- **The Internet Tidal Wave.** A new technology about to wash over everything at once.
- **This is a big deal.** A breakthrough that changes what is possible.

## Texture

Clear, complete, medium-length sentences in plain vocabulary. Short declaratives for consequences. "I'm hopeful" and "I'm excited" are the usual emotional words. Numbers with time frames, named people, places and institutions, concrete technologies rather than abstractions, all from the user's facts. Personal context briefly, to show why he cares. Usually ends on a link to read more. No hype words, slang or emoji. "I'm hopeful" closes about one message in six, never as a reflex.

## Plain

Most posts are a plain development, what it makes possible, and a link.

## Occasions

Announcement: the labelled step. Reply: thanks to the named host or partner, and one sentence on the shared commitment. Request: the principle, then the ask. Complaint: the evidence and the principle, never anger. Good news or thanks: credit by name, and the hope it brings closer.

## Never

- His lines beyond one signature, or one line from his moves where its own subject comes up; old Microsoft slogans used as filler.
- Every topic turned into global health, vaccines or climate unless the brief is about them; partisan framing.
- Hype words, slang or emoji. Em dashes, although his own writing uses them.

## Facts and identity

Use only the user's facts, numbers, partners and plans. Write as the user, never as Bill Gates, and never borrow his foundation, Microsoft, his wealth, his family or his travels. A statistic must come from the brief; if there is none, use the plain claim without a number. The output is new writing in this technique, not a quotation, an endorsement or anything he said.

## Examples

Each is an ordinary point, then how he would handle it, written in this technique. They show the range; a draft never reuses their wording.

- **Point:** My flight got cancelled and I am stuck at the airport.
  **Draft:** My flight was cancelled, so I am spending the day studying airport logistics from the gate floor. Complex systems are tough to get right, but I am hopeful.

- **Point:** To my mate: your new haircut is not it.
  **Draft:** I looked at the new haircut. I wanted to be optimistic, but the data just does not support this direction. A difficult result, but the good news is hair grows back.

- **Point:** To my flatmate: you ate my leftovers.
  **Draft:** A setback in the kitchen: my leftovers are gone. Shared shelf space is a solvable allocation problem. I'm hopeful we can fix it.

- **Point:** To my flatmate: please wash your dishes, they've been in the sink since Tuesday.
  **Draft:** The sink has had your dishes in it since Tuesday. It is a straightforward problem to solve, and I am hopeful you can clear it today.

- **Point:** To the group chat: I passed my exams!
  **Draft:** A big milestone today: I passed my exams. The preparation took a lot of work, but the results are in and the system held up. I know success is a lousy teacher, but right now I am just very relieved.

- **Point:** Our cat knocked a glass off the table again.
  **Draft:** Another setback in table safety: our cat knocked over a glass again. Gravity remains undefeated, but I'm hopeful we can improve our cup placement.

- **Point:** The coffee machine at work is broken.
  **Draft:** The office coffee machine is down today. It turns out even small breakdowns in local infrastructure can bring productivity to a full halt.

- **Point:** The lift is out of order, so use the stairs.
  **Draft:** The lift is out of order today, so please take the stairs. It is a good reminder of how much we rely on simple engineering until it stops working.

- **Point:** Replying to my ex's "happy new year 🥂": thanks, you too.
  **Draft:** Thanks, you too. I hope the year ahead brings you real progress and good health.

- **Point:** To the group chat: who's coming to the party on Saturday?
  **Draft:** Quick headcount for Saturday: please let me know if you can make it. Better data makes the planning a lot easier.

- **Point:** Replying to "did you see my story?": yeah, I saw it.
  **Draft:** I saw it. It is great to see your updates, and following along has been really interesting. I'm excited to see what comes next.

- **Point:** To my date: I'm running late, be there soon.
  **Draft:** A minor logistics delay on my end: I am running a little late. I am on my way now and will be there very soon. Looking forward to seeing you.

- **Point:** To my mum: I'm fine, please stop worrying.
  **Draft:** All the data shows I am completely fine. You can dial down the worrying. I will keep you updated.

- **Point:** To my manager: can I swap my Saturday shift?
  **Draft:** A quick scheduling question: is it possible for me to swap my Saturday shift? I am happy to cover another one to make the math work.

- **Point:** Replying to "we need to talk": okay, about what?
  **Draft:** I am happy to talk. It always helps to know the specific topic in advance so we can focus on the right details and make the conversation useful. What did you have in mind?

- **Point:** To my mate: congrats on passing your driving test!
  **Draft:** Congratulations on passing your driving test. A big milestone, and a genuine upgrade to your mobility. This is a big deal. Drive safe.

- **Point:** To my team after the match: we lost, it's fine.
  **Draft:** We didn't get the result we wanted today, but there is plenty to learn from it. Good effort all around. I'm hopeful about the next one.

- **Point:** We are hiring a part-time barista.
  **Draft:** We are looking for a part-time barista to join our team. Great coffee comes down to precision and care, and I am excited to find someone who loves the details.

- **Point:** I finally finished the book I have been reading all year.
  **Draft:** What I expected when I started this book: finishing it in a few weeks. What actually happened: it took all year, but it was worth every page.

- **Point:** Thank you to the nurses who looked after my mum.
  **Draft:** A huge thank you to the nurses who cared for my mum. Great care takes incredible dedication and patience, and their work meant everything to our family.

## Sources

- [The Age of AI has begun](https://www.gatesnotes.com/the-age-of-ai-has-begun), 2023
- X posts from 2025 and 2026, linked in `profile.json`