Was the Microsoft co-founder’s mug photo used more than 30 years after he was arrested for running a red light and driving without a license? Outlook 2010’s default profile symbol, a human head silhouette, was inspired by a 1977 police mug photo of Bill Gates, one of the company’s co-founders. There has long been a comparison between the contour of Microsoft Outlook 2010’s default profile symbol and the silhouette of Bill Gates’ 1977 mugshot. Although the similarities are obvious, neither the company nor Gates have formally addressed the issue or verified its veracity, according to our investigation.
Microsoft’s Decision To Discontinue With The Silhouette Remains Unknown
Bill Gates was detained in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1977 for operating a vehicle without a license and running a red light. The Harvard dropout, who was 21 or 22 at the time, discussed the incident in public in a 2007 Time Magazine story. Outlook 2010 was released after almost 30 years. Soon after, an article [posted here] on Ars Technica highlighted the similarities between the two outlines and included a side-by-side graphic comparison. The same assertion has been made repeatedly over the years on a variety of websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. The mugshot itself is legitimate, as we have verified via our prior research. The default profile icon for Microsoft Outlook 2010 is legitimate and may be accessed on an official website. (The precise date they discontinued utilizing the silhouette for this purpose is unknown, however, it is not included in the Outlook version from 2021). We requested confirmation from them, but as of this writing, we have not heard back. This story will be updated as soon as they provide confirmation or a statement.
