Bill Gates latest to get the Twitter bug

by Stevie Smith - Jan 20 2010, 04:52

Do you remember that Bill Gates guy? You know, he was head of Microsoft Corp. for quite some time before suddenly dropping off the technology radar back in mid-2008. Well, he’s back… but not in the way you might think.

More specifically, Microsoft’s iconic co-founder and recently retired CEO has moved to embrace the hugely popular micro-blogging phenomenon by opening his very own Twitter account.

Offering up a simple and friendly “Hello World” on Tuesday, Gates then began using his Twitter platform to help spread awareness and raise charitable donations for the ongoing earthquake disaster in Haiti.

Evidently still carrying some weight in the world, despite his move away from Microsoft, Gates has already amassed approximately 130,000 eager Twitter followers within 24 hours of going live online.

According to AFP, although Gates has thus far only delivered a handful of tweets, he has already become a follower of 40 other post streams belonging to fellow account holders ranging from President Barack Obama and CERN to Ashton Kutcher and Ashley Tisdale.

Responding to the notable addition to his considerable list of devoted followers, Kutcher wrote: “I’d like to welcome @billgates to the twitterverse.” Kutcher presently has close to four-and-a-half million Twitter followers.

Still serving with Redmond-based Microsoft as something of a silent part-time chairman, Gates now focuses most of his time on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is a charity aimed at improving the standards of health and education around the world.

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