This was a big year for me, and not just because I turned 70 or released my first memoir. 2025 also marked 50 years since I started Microsoft with Paul Allen, and 25 years of work at the Gates Foundation with incredible partners. I’m deeply proud of what we have accomplished and optimistic about how we will continue saving and improving lives around the world. But none of these milestones—and all the amazing moments in between—would have happened or felt as special without my family, friends, an