Bill Gates Joins Twitter

It took Microsoft (NADSAQ:MSFT) founder Bill Gate long enough to join Twitter. Now he can join President Obama and Demi Moore as fans of the social media network based on sending people short phrases.

According to CNET, “The first post by the real Bill Gates was a note that he plans to release the second of his annual foundation letters on Monday.” That may be a sign the Gates will use Twitter for philanthropic purposes rather than as a way to promote Microsoft.

Gates is likely to rise up the Twitter ranking quickly because of his fame and tech cult status. He should certainly gets as many followers as financial planner Suze Oman, who has over one million. Gates might even pass Ashton Kutcher, Moore’s husband, and Oprah, who each have more than two million followers.

As Gates joins Twitter, particularly if it is to publicize the work of his foundation around the world, it will give push the network’s reputation up again. What was once a toy for teenagers has become a way to talk about Gates’ plans to save the world using his huge fortune.

Douglas A. McIntyre