Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, initially envisioned a career in medicine until a pivotal encounter at Microsoft, where future CEO Steve Ballmer offered some transformative guidance.
In an interview with YouTuber Zalkar Saliev, Newell shared that programming in high school was merely a hobby, not a perceived career, especially since video games were nonexistent. He stated, “When I was a kid, I thought I was going to be a doctor; programming was just something I did in my free time.” He further noted the lack of formal education in the field, with his first programmable device being a Texas Instruments calculator.
His brother, Dan Newell, was an early employee at Microsoft, which was founded in 1975. Newell recalled that Microsoft was not yet a dominant force in software, ranking only as the third-largest developer in Washington state at the time. Its future renown was unimaginable then.
During a casual visit to his brother at Microsoft, Newell encountered Steve Ballmer. Ballmer, annoyed by the distraction Newell posed to Dan, pointedly advised him: “If you`re going to be here, why not do something useful?”
Inspired by this, Newell decided to take a leave of absence from Harvard to work at Microsoft.
He never returned to Harvard, instead dedicating 13 years to Microsoft, where he contributed to the development of early Windows versions. In 1996, he departed with fellow Microsoft employee Mike Harrington to co-found Valve. Under Newell`s leadership, Valve achieved immense success, navigating numerous game development projects and notably creating the Steam platform.
Today, Newell is a billionaire, known for working from his yacht and enjoying scuba diving. He has also recently shared insights into the foundations of his remarkable success.