Bill Gates Recalls Steve Jobs Suggesting He ‘Take Acid’ for Better Product Design

In a recent conversation with The Independent, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates shared an anecdote about his interactions with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Gates revealed that Jobs once suggested he should try using acid (psychedelic drugs) to improve his design sense, according to Fortune on February 6.While most people might expect the tech moguls to discuss topics like technology, Gates now recalls Jobs bringing up hallucinogens. Gates quoted Jobs as saying, “I wish you’d take acid because maybe then you’d have more taste in your product designs.”

Was Steve Jobs a Design Visionary?

Steve Jobs, widely regarded as a design visionary in the 1990s and early 2000s, transformed product design with revolutionary products like the iMac, iPod, iPad, and the iPhone. Meanwhile, Microsoft was focused on developing cloud-computing software, which now contributes significantly to the company’s $3.1 trillion valuation, according to The Independent.

In response to Jobs’ comment, Gates humorously remarked, “Look, I got the wrong batch.” He went on to acknowledge Jobs’ exceptional talents in marketing and design, contrasting them with his own focus on coding. “I got the coding batch, and this guy got the marketing-design batch, so good for him,” Gates said, recognizing that their talents, despite both being energetic leaders, were quite different.

Gates admitted he envied Jobs’ design and marketing expertise, noting that Jobs “wouldn’t know what a line of code meant,” while Gates was more focused on coding. He confessed, “I envy those skills. I’m not in his league.”

The report also mentions that Jobs was unaware of Gates’ past use of recreational drugs, including marijuana during his high school years.