In 2005, many readers asked us about the below-displayed photos that were rumored to show Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates posing for a magazine called "Teen Beat."
blog.monkeymethods.org, 2005
The inquiries followed the posting of a blog post featuring the images with a caption identifying them as photos taken in 1983 for a "Teen Beat Photospread" (i.e., a layout in a magazine featuring stories and pictures of 'teen idol'-type celebrities, marketed primarily to prepubescent girls). The blog's full caption read: "Bill Gates Strikes a Pose for Teen Beat Photospread, 1983."
These images are actually publicity photos taken of the then 30-year-old Gates coincident with the initial release of Microsoft Windows in 1985. The Corbis (or Getty Images) photo archive identified their depiction thusly: "Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, reclines on his desk in his office soon after the release of Windows 1.0. 1985 Bellevue, Washington, USA."