Bill Gates gets Harvard degree, not at all smug about it

Little Bill is all growed up now, and has finally made his father proud. "I've been waiting for more than 30 years to say this: Dad, I always told you I'd come back and get my degree," said Gates, who received a law degree on Thursday from Harvard after giving a commencement address to the students, the school he dropped out of to focus on Microsoft. "We recognize the most illustrious member of the Harvard College class of 1977 never to have graduated from Harvard," said Harvard University Provost Steven Hymen, who didn't seem too humbled to present the honorary degree. "It seems high time that his alma mater hand over the diploma." Bill Gates seemed more concerned with padding his resume, however, considering the fact that he's calling it quits at Microsoft soon. "I'll be changing my job next year, and it will be nice to finally have a college degree on my resume." Oh, we're sure he'll get by alright.

[Image via Seattle PI]

[Mike @ Jun 8th 2007 6:07PM]

Congrats Bill!

[tundraboy @ Jun 8th 2007 6:18PM]

"All right" is a word. "Already" is a word. But "alright" is not in any proper dictionary.


Yeah, I'm being picky but I just finished drilling my daughter for her spelling finals and she got "all right" wrong too.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jun 8th 2007 6:35PM]

-"But "alright" is not in any proper dictionary"

Uhm, I guess the Oxford and Merriam-Webster dictionaries aren't proper then.

http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=alright

http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50006486?query_type=word&queryword=alright&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=zMy5-klRjRz-7287&hilite=50006486

Sure, sure, it's somewhat informal, but still a recognized spelling. Engadget commentary isn't exactly the most formal of forums- rofl!!

[tundraboy @ Jun 9th 2007 11:45AM]

Ahh, score one for the philistines then if 'alright' makes it into Webster, albeit as a contested entry. Pretty soon every misuse will become acceptable, what does a grammar stickler have to stickle about then? :-)

[Andrew H. @ Jun 9th 2007 4:00PM]

tundraboy you're ALLLLLRIGHT

[kai @ Jun 8th 2007 6:24PM]

Why get a degree now? Why not? It's not like Harvard made him pass any classes or anything, this is an HONORARY DOCTORATE that Harvard (and other universities) give to people who deserve a degree but didn't go to school.

Let me reiterate. Bill didn't lift a finger to get this degree. Well...unless you count giving a speech at Harvard.

[Kunikos @ Jun 8th 2007 6:52PM]

... or you know, the thing they're honoring him for, which I guess is doing business and technology type stuff at Microsoft (which would make more sense awarding a Doctorate in Business with a focus on Software Technology, not Law).

[fooman @ Jun 8th 2007 7:45PM]

He donated 10 million back about 6 years ago to build the Maxwell-Dworkin (named for his and Steve Balmers mothers) Building in the Harvard Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences (now known as the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences). He also funds several professorships there, where 30 years ago he was a student.
Yesterday after the speech's he swung by for his 30th Reunion, had some pictures with his Wife in front of the 30th Reunion Banner, looked over a portion of original code posted on the wall from when he was a student there, said hi to people passing by and was very nice before being whisked away.

Seemed like a decent guy.

fooman

[kai @ Jun 8th 2007 8:49PM]

yeah uh, i didn't know "dropping out to make a living, and succeeding" counted as worthy of honoring nowadays.

silly me.

[carter @ Jun 9th 2007 1:01AM]

Bill didn't lift a finger to get this degree. Well...unless you count giving a speech at Harvard.

He gave the commencement address - he wasn't paid - folks who do this, at Harvard and many other universities, then get an honorary degree. It's not unusual.

[Jason @ Jun 8th 2007 6:38PM]

Is that John Kerry???

[Ellianth @ Jun 8th 2007 10:27PM]

I was wondering the same thing, lol.

[Peter @ Jun 8th 2007 6:53PM]

See what happens when you're a college dropout.
Stay in school kids.

[Pacey @ Jun 8th 2007 7:24PM]

Yes, that's John Kerry.

The political jokes that can be made from that picture alone make the degree worthwhile...

[John Doe @ Jun 8th 2007 7:36PM]

Cool so a dropout can get a Harvard degree. Nice.

[3q @ Jun 8th 2007 7:36PM]

grown up vs growed up ...
go back to grammar school paul miller

[Monochromaddict @ Jun 8th 2007 7:51PM]

I think it was written like that as a joke to be cute.

[carlo @ Jun 8th 2007 7:40PM]

Ugh, what a joke. When did he start? When did he take the LSAT?

Who was he in classes with?

Did he write papers.

Talk about depreciation of law school.

[carlo @ Jun 8th 2007 7:40PM]

Ugh, what a joke. When did he start? When did he take the LSAT?

Who was he in classes with?

Did he write papers.

Talk about depreciation of law school.

[Kory Herzinger @ Jun 8th 2007 7:50PM]

Did anyone else notice the name of the Harvard Provost?

[js @ Jun 8th 2007 9:04PM]

So? United States is run by people named Bush and Dick.

[Ben @ Jun 8th 2007 7:54PM]

There was a really neat article in the WSJ this morning about exactly this.

[Mike Knowland @ Jun 8th 2007 7:58PM]

Now get out there and make something of yourself.

[BobTurbo @ Jun 8th 2007 8:18PM]

Finally he is employable.

[John @ Jun 8th 2007 8:38PM]

This is bull.

Bill should be made to take all courses necessary to get the number of credits needed to get a degree.

Just like everybody else.

[Tyler @ Jun 8th 2007 8:58PM]

You people are idiots.


It is an honorary degree, not a real one.

[Brendan @ Jun 8th 2007 8:59PM]

Wow, it's like no one commenting knows what an honorary degree is.

[RioVic @ Jun 8th 2007 9:21PM]

Proud to be a beaver, but long past taking from a hymen, I must note that:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Honorary degrees are a routine part of graduation ceremonies at nearly every college in the land -- but not at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT's founder, William Barton Rogers, regarded the practice of giving honorary degrees as "literary almsgiving ... of spurious merit and noisy popularity."

[RioVic @ Jun 8th 2007 9:22PM]

Proud to be an MIT Beaver, but somewhat past taking anything from a hymen, I must note that:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Honorary degrees are a routine part of graduation ceremonies at nearly every college in the land -- but not at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT's founder, William Barton Rogers, regarded the practice of giving honorary degrees as "literary almsgiving ... of spurious merit and noisy popularity."

[John @ Jun 8th 2007 9:24PM]

I know it is an "honorary" degree.

An honorary degree just makes no sense. It should either be a degree or it is not.

It's like getting pulled over and telling a police officer you have an "honorary" license to drive cause you dropped out before you were able to take the driver's exams at the DMV to obtain a true license but since you won the Indy 500, you should be free to go. (night-stick clubbing ensues)

They should call it an honorary "certificate" or just give him a card that says "You are Special"

[Matthew Corley @ Jun 8th 2007 10:10PM]

It is simply an honorary degree, guys - he isn't bar certified, he's not going to be practicing law. This is a ceremonial degree honoring the achievements of an alumni who has made significant contributions to his alma mater.

What purpose does it serve to get so bent out of shape about it? I suppose envy can be a powerful motive force.

Finally, alright is a recognized spelling - and some grammarians have pushed for it to be the standard.

[darter9000 @ Jun 8th 2007 10:16PM]

Let modern day high school students now bemoan the loss of one of their greatest example of why they don't need college... They can no longer claim that Bill Gates is a big success without a college degree.

[tekdroid @ Jun 8th 2007 10:17PM]

Bill looks smashing in red.

[Nintendud @ Jun 8th 2007 10:41PM]

Let's all just say it: We hate Bill Gates, and we have lost respect for Harvard for awarding him for his success with a company that employs monopolistic business tactics and screws over consumers with faulty operating systems that never live up to pre-launch promises.

Also, I'm fairly angry that Windows XP STILL protects the C:\Program Files\xerox directory. Seriously, it's pointless, it's empty, it makes people think that they have a virus (Windows XP IS the virus), and it will never have anything in it, yet it remains. Why can't a simple patch be released?

Now that we got that off our chests... who wants pie?

[David @ Jun 8th 2007 10:48PM]

Now he has to pass the BAR exam. He better bone up on ethics. I think that's an area he is in need of severe help.

[David @ Jun 8th 2007 10:49PM]

Let's see here, we have the founder of the biggest company that has more lawsuits for thier monopolistic business practices and Harvard gives him an honorary law degree?

What I want to know is what are the people at Harvard smoking?

I definitely won't hire Bill to head up anything having to do with the law.

[tekdroid @ Jun 8th 2007 10:55PM]

What are Harvard smoking? They are smoking the "one of the world's richest men came here, and look what brilliance brushed off on him" school of Public Relations and virtually unlimited free publicity.

[Brian S @ Jun 8th 2007 10:59PM]

@ Nintendud & David

Next time you get an honorary degree I'll make sure to visit Engadget and piss on you in the comments section.

[Marlene @ Jun 8th 2007 11:17PM]

It is hard to believe that there are so many dumb people. He was a student at Harvard and left to go to Microsoft. He is probably a genius and smarter than others that did finish. Appears to be a very decent human being and I and many others admire him greatly. Good he got the honorary degree. I have seen hundreds less deserving receive the same honor.

[Matthew Corley @ Jun 9th 2007 12:54AM]

As for monopolistic practices - that's capitalism for you. He's supposed to make profit, and the government is supposed to make sure he doesn't get too big. It is an adversarial system (aka, the US legal system); simply put, it wouldn't work any other way.

Microsoft is also largely responsible for making computers accessible to the every-day user. I don't see how they've failed to deliver a decent product, and if a protected directory is enough to induce that kind of ranting... perhaps we should cut back on the coffee, eh?

The Bill and Melinda Gates charities have done a lot of excellent things for this world. I daresay it takes considerable chutzpa, and a healthy level of derangement, to impugn his ethics. I've seen his interviews, I've read about the scholarships he has granted and the high school he has built. I've read about the work he's done to fight disease in developing countries. Maybe you guys should do a little more listening and a little more reading, and a lot less ranting.

[Rex @ Jun 9th 2007 3:06AM]

for HEAVEN'S SAKE! its a ruddy HONORARY! its like a "thank you for funding us" card...sheesh....

[Mike @ Jun 9th 2007 5:37AM]

Microsoft, under Bill Gates leadership, has been convicted of illegal business practices on three continents -- North America, Europe and Asia. Gates understanding of law would seem to be a little different from the people who wrote the laws.

OTOH, getting an honourary degree from Harvard is probably as close as they can get to a guarantee of financial gifts for the future.

IOW, Gates 'bought' the degree on the promise of funding. If you had a couple billion, you could get a degree from Harvard too -- and a couple of legal convictions wouldn't stand in your way either.

[A I @ Jun 9th 2007 8:55AM]

why LAW? a degree in computer science would be more sensible. Which idiot at Harvard came up with the idea of a law degree for bill gates...
Oh wait Harvard dean cares more about publicity than the appropriate degree to award to gates.

[Derek Duvel @ Jun 9th 2007 11:54AM]

Because, that's what Gates was studying before he dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft.

[Fruition @ Jun 9th 2007 12:14PM]

Likewise, I am confused about this Law degree business.

But I guess they figure, hey if it's useless, let's just pick it from a hat!

[Fruition @ Jun 9th 2007 12:16PM]

Oh, I should have probably refreshed before commenting -_-

Thanks for clearing that up!

[L.Ellison @ Jun 9th 2007 6:42PM]

They told me he owns a MBL sound system

[Cormin @ Jun 10th 2007 1:22AM]

Did he get a degree in law just so he can pwn the linux scene? =( with the whole open source vs. microsoft crap

darn you gates, and your genious-ness!

[NRSP @ Jun 11th 2007 8:57AM]

Wow Harvard: Bill Gates, is a person who is practicing law!
His company successful in tackling with many law-suit. He has spent lots of time is defending himself and his company from law-suit, than in business. Thus people at Harvard has honored his talent in Law. What an genius they are!