50 years ago, a 20-year-old Bill Gates called hobbyists "thieves" for sharing software

[](https://boingboing.net/2026/02/04/50-years-ago-a-20-year-old-bill-gates-called-hobbyists-thieves-for-sharing-software.html "50 years ago, a 20-year-old Bill Gates called hobbyists "thieves" for sharing software")

This week marks the 50th anniversary of Bill Gates' infamous "Open Letter to Hobbyists," in which the 20-year-old accused early computer enthusiasts of theft for copying his BASIC interpreter. "Most of you steal your software," Gates wrote in 1976. — Read the rest

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