Bill Gates made 15 big predictions 25 years ago and all of them have come true

Here are the 15 most important predictions that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates made at the turn of the century – all of which have since come true.

Today, when we hear stories of people claiming to be able to predict the future, most people rightly roll their eyes.

Many people have claimed to be the “new Nostradamus” or the “next Baba Vanga” by making dozens of claims vague enough to be applied to different situations and then saying, “See, I told you so” when one of them ended up coming true.

You know, if you throw enough stuff at the wall, eventually something will stick and so on…

One person who managed to buck this trend and join the creators of The Simpsons Tech mogul Bill Gates is one of the best experts at predicting the future. In his book The 1999 Book, he made some bold claims about technological advances. Doing business at the speed of thought.

Admittedly, the 68-year-old had a head start on most of us as co-founder of Microsoft, but it's still pretty impressive that so many of his predictions ended up coming true.

Following the release of his new Netflix documentary What's next? The future with Bill Gates Let’s review 15 predictions that are now an integral part of our daily lives:

Price comparison portals

Price comparison sites like Compare the Market, Moneysupermarket and Google Products have made it super easy to find the best deal on everything from credit cards to new sneakers or travel insurance. Here's what Gates had to say about it:

“Automated price comparison services are being developed that allow people to compare prices across multiple websites, making it easy to find the cheapest product across all industries.”

Mobile phones

It is the first object we pick up in the morning and it stores most of our life data, yet in 1999 most people who owned a mobile phone carried devices made by Nokia, Siemens or Phillips.

They might have run a great Snake game, but they can't compete with what's on the market today.

Gates was well aware of the potential of mobile technologies when he shared his thoughts on the subject in his book.

The father of three said: “People will carry around small devices that will allow them to stay in constant touch and conduct electronic business from anywhere.”

“They will be able to check the news, view their flight bookings, get information from the financial markets and do virtually everything else on these devices.”

Online financing

In the past, the local bank was the first port of call for major financial transactions. But those days are long gone.

Now we can use the Internet to pay for goods on the go, send money to our friends, and check our bank balances – just as Gates predicted.

He also suggested that some aspects of medicine would also move with the times and online, which was also a good guess since companies now offer date-based healthcare, online consultations and digital prescriptions.

The Microsoft co-founder predicted: “People will pay their bills, manage their finances, and communicate with their doctors over the Internet.”

Virtual Assistants

While he didn't say outright that we'd all be shouting “Alexa” at the top of our lungs and asking a small, round device to tell us a funny joke, Gates predicted that we'd have an automated little helper by now.

The tech magnate believes that “personal companions” will make everyone's life easier in the coming years, saying: “They will intelligently connect and sync all your devices, whether they are at home or in the office, and allow them to share data.”

“The device checks your emails or notifications and shows you the information you need. When you go to the store, you can tell it what recipes you want to make and it will make a list of the ingredients you need to get.

“All the devices you use will be informed about your purchases and schedule, so they can automatically adapt to your activities.”

Home surveillance systems

It turns out that Gates had already envisioned technologies like Ring doorbells and Google Nest technologies, viewing them as an improved version of a security camera.

“Constant video feeds of your home will become the norm, informing you when someone visits you while you are away,” he wrote.

While he couldn't predict that we'd be able to conveniently monitor our front doors via a mobile app, the feature is still pretty accurate.

Social Media

In 1999, you usually had to call your friends on a landline or travel to meet them in person, but that didn't stop Gates from imagining a world where everyone around the globe is hyperconnected.

“Private websites for your friends and family will be widespread. They will allow you to chat and plan events,” he wrote.

Admittedly, social media isn’t exactly a “private website,” but apps like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, allow us to stay in constant contact with groups large and small.

Gates knew that technology would take up a large part of our lives (Getty Stock Images)

Automatically generated ads

Predicting the rise of automatically generated ads, he wrote: “Software that knows when you booked a trip and uses that information to suggest things to do at your destination. It suggests activities, discounts, deals and cheaper prices for everything you want to participate in.”

Intelligent Displays

These days, advertising is everywhere. You tell a friend you want a new pair of shoes and the next moment Google is showing you pictures of sneakers – another thing Gates predicted.

“Devices will have intelligent advertising,” Gates said. “They will know your purchasing habits and display advertising tailored to your preferences.”

Sports discussion websites

In 1999, Gates made the following prediction: “While you are watching a sporting event on television, services will allow you to discuss the live action and participate in a contest in which you vote on who you think will win.”

Thanks to social media, sports fans can stay up to date with scores and discuss controversial events during the game.

It's no surprise that the Microsoft co-founder knew about the future of the technology world (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

Links to websites during live TV

Gates certainly foresaw the dominance of advertising in our lives, predicting that future commercials would include links that would allow viewers to search for it online, scan a QR code, or follow the brand on social media.

In his book he wrote: “Television shows will contain links to relevant websites and content that complement what you are watching.”

Virtual discussion forums

“Residents of cities and countries will have the opportunity to have Internet-based discussions on issues that affect them, such as local politics, urban planning or security,” he wrote.

Gates predicted that the Internet, like social media, would allow us to stay in touch virtually and discuss the issues most important to us with our friends and neighbors.

Online communities

Gates also foresaw the future of human connections that would allow people to share their interests globally and find like-minded people on the other side of the world, no longer limited by distance.

“Online communities are not influenced by your location, but by your interests,” he said.

Who would have thought that Bill Gates predicted the rise of Reddit?

Project management software

The modern workplace has certainly been made easier by the invention of apps like Slack, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Teams—it turns out Gates had a plan for digitizing the office as early as 25 years ago.

Sharing his vision for project management software, he wrote, “Project managers looking to assemble a team can go online, describe the project, and get recommendations for available people who meet their needs.”

Gates' predictions included the rise of social media (Getty Stock Images)

Online recruitment

Linkedin has definitely changed the game when it comes to finding a job and keeping up to date with the professional activities of your current and former colleagues, and it gives you a ready-made resume that can be viewed by recruiters. Gates definitely saw the gap in the market in the area of ​​professional networking as well and made a corresponding prediction in his book.

“Similarly, job seekers can find employment opportunities online by specifying their interests, needs and expertise,” he wrote.

Software for the business community

Gates made the following prediction about business community software in his book: “Companies will be able to bid on jobs whether they are looking for a construction project, a film production, or an advertising campaign.”

“This will be efficient both for large companies that want to outsource work that they do not normally face, as well as for companies looking for new customers and for companies that do not have a preferred provider for the said service.”

Nowadays, there are websites like Upwork, Fiverr and Craigslist where small businesses can search for clients and freelancers.

What's next? The future with Bill Gates is currently available on Netflix.