Bill Gates delivered Harvard University’s commencement address in 2007.
Gates entered Harvard College in 1973 but left without graduating to pursue the computer-software business that became Microsoft. Decades later, Harvard invited him back for its commencement ceremony, where he addressed graduates and received an honorary degree.
His speech reflected on leaving university, building Microsoft, and the responsibilities that accompany wealth and influence. He also emphasized global poverty, public health, and the importance of using knowledge to address inequality.
The event is distinct from Gates’s enrollment at Harvard and from his later work through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The 2007 ceremony marked his formal return to the university as an honorary graduate and commencement speaker.