• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechChange the World

Bill Gates Uses an Android Phone

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 26, 2017, 10:50 AM ET

A billionaire has joined the masses.

Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, revealed in a weekend interview with Fox News Sunday that he is a recent convert to the software of a long-time business rival. Not Apple, but Google.

“I happen to use all Windows-based PCs,” Gates told Fox anchor Chris Wallace before making his handset confession. “The phone that I have, I recently did switch to an Android phone,” he continued, noting with a puckish grin that it runs “a lot of Microsoft software.”

Microsoft’s ill-fated foray into the mobile world is the stuff of legend. In addition to its blighted multibillion dollar Nokia acquisition in 2014, the company has phased out support for its unpopular Windows Phone in recent months.

Gates had stepped back from his executives duties long before Microsoft made its mobile missteps under his successor Steve Ballmer. Its new CEO Satya Nadella has shifted the company’s focus to other areas of technology, like cloud computing, virtual voice assistants, and augmented reality.

Gates’s admission places him in the same camp as most consumers. Android is the world’s most popular mobile operating system with more than 80% market share, according to market research firm IDC. The Apple iPhone’s share has fluctuated in the teens for the past several quarters, while Microsoft’s penetration is sub-1%.

OnMSFT, the Microsoft-centric blog that first called attention to Gate’s testimonial, noted that Microsoft partnered with Samsung earlier this year on a customized phone in the U.S., the Samsung Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition, which comes with a suite of Microsoft software, like Office, LinkedIn, and its voice assistant Cortana. The Microsoft connection leads some, like The Verge, to speculate this might be the model favored by Gates.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. Sign up here.

“So, no iPhone?” Fox anchor Chris Wallace asked.

“No, no iPhone,” Gates replied.

Watch the clip below.

Gates also touched on his relationship with the late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs during the interview. He heaped some praise on his arch-frenemy, calling him a “genius, absolutely amazing.”

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 04: Anthropic Co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaks at the "How AI Will Transform Business in the Next 18 Months" panel during INBOUND 2025 Powered by HubSpot at Moscone Center on September 04, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images for HubSpot)
InvestingAnthropic
Anthropic considers IPO despite warnings that excess liquidity is blowing a bubble in the markets
By Jim EdwardsDecember 3, 2025
22 minutes ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Exclusive: Angle Health raises $134 million Series B to grow its AI-driven healthcare benefits offerings
By Allie GarfinkleDecember 3, 2025
26 minutes ago
Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2023 in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anthropic plows toward an IPO
By Andrew NuscaDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
MagazineFood and drink
A Chinese ice cream chain, powered by super-cheap cones, now has more outlets than McDonald’s
By Theodora YuDecember 3, 2025
3 hours ago
InnovationBrainstorm Design
Video games can teach designers deeper lessons than ‘high score streaks’ and gamification
By Angelica AngDecember 3, 2025
6 hours ago
LawInternet
A Supreme Court decision could put your internet access at risk. Here’s who could be affected
By Dave Lozo and Morning BrewDecember 2, 2025
15 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
20 hours ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
23 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.