Should or could Bill Gates finish his ph.d.?

Why should he? What could finishing it possibly do for him, career-wise? Help him get a better paying job?

The only reason to complete a PHD for Bill Gates is for pride, and I don’t see that as a motivating factor for him./

Excellent answer @elbanditoroso

A PH.D is not only not necessary but runs contrary to his persona.

Who came first, the guy with the first ph. d. or the guy who gave it to him?

I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to. I doubt he would ever bother. It’s a lot of work, and it’s not going to further his career. He can read anything he’s interested in without having to go through the trouble of actually writing a thesis.

Why? Would he get a raise at work? HS HA HA HA,!!!!

A PhD is nothing more than a job credential. It acts as an offer of proof that the degree holder is qualified to hold a research-based position in their field of study. It doesn’t prove that someone is a genius or destined for success, and it’s not the only way to become qualified for intellectual work. It’s just a piece of paper that says a handful of people who earned PhDs before you have witnessed you doing the necessary work to get a PhD of your own.

So to answer your question: I’m sure that Bill Gates could earn a PhD if he really wanted to, but there’s no clear reason why he should. It’s a credential for a job in which he has no interest. And even if he were interested, he already has the resources to do whatever sort of intellectual research he wants without a university paying him to do so. I’m also pretty sure he could easily get an invitation from just about anywhere to teach a course related to one of his areas of expertise, so there’s just no benefit to putting him through the formal process.

Has any university given Gates an honorary degree?

“Can we make a list of successfull drop outs?”

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg all come to mind.

@LostInParadise Yes, including the school out from which he dropped, Harvard.
Wikipedia says,
“Gates has received honorary doctorates from Nyenrode Business Universiteit, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Waseda University, Tsinghua University, Harvard University, the Karolinska Institute, and Cambridge University.”