Tech History: Bill Gates Got Arrested Before Microsoft Excel-ed

In 1977, a young Bill Gates was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The charge? Driving without a license and running a stop sign.

Why was he in Albuquerque? He had moved there to work on software for the Altair 8800—an early personal computer—through a company he co-founded with Paul Allen. That company was called Micro-Soft at the time (yes, with a hyphen).

The best part? His mugshot, featuring a smiling, shaggy-haired Gates in a blue collared shirt and sweater, has become a viral symbol of tech nerd rebellion. Microsoft even joked about it years later.

There’s some mystery around how many times he was arrested for traffic violations—some sources suggest more than once during his time in New Mexico. The exact details of the police records aren’t publicly confirmed beyond that one famous photo.