Bill Gates gets a pie thrown in his face in Brussels, Belgium.

On February 4, 1998, an unexpected and comical moment occurred when Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world's most powerful business figures, had a pie thrown in his face in Brussels, Belgium. The incident took place as Gates was entering the Justus Lipsius building for a meeting with European Union officials. The man behind the prank was Noël Godin, a Belgian anarchist and professional prankster known for his pie-throwing antics. Godin had a history of targeting celebrities, politicians, and other public figures as part of his mission to poke fun at the establishment and disrupt the seriousness surrounding influential individuals. He called his pies "creams of humility" and had made a name for himself by pulling similar stunts on figures such as French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy. As Gates entered the building, Godin and his accomplices struck, hurling the pie directly at Gates’ face, much to the surprise of onlookers and security personnel. Multiple assailants were involved, and it was reported that up to four pies were part of the attack, although only one made a direct hit. Gates, known for his calm and composed demeanor, handled the situation with grace. After being struck, he wiped off the pie with a handkerchief, smiled, and moved on, continuing to the meeting. While the incident may seem like a minor event, it became a viral sensation, partly due to Gates’ immense global stature. The pie-throwing drew media attention worldwide, turning into a humorous spectacle. Though it had no lasting negative effects on Gates' public image, it did momentarily highlight the ongoing criticism and resentment felt by some towards him and Microsoft at the time. In the late 1990s, Microsoft was facing scrutiny from antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Europe for its monopolistic practices. Gates, as the face of the company, often attracted both admiration and disdain. For Noël Godin, this successful pie attack was a personal triumph, as Gates had been a high-profile target on his list. Godin’s philosophy behind these attacks was to deflate the sense of self-importance among the elite, using humor and absurdity as his tools. He saw the pies as symbolic acts of rebellion against the powerful and hoped to draw attention to the absurdity of wealth and authority. Ultimately, the event became a quirky footnote in Bill Gates' remarkable career. It served as a reminder that even the richest man in the world, at the height of his success, could not escape the occasional moment of public ridicule. Hashtags: #BillGates #PieInTheFace #NoelGodin #1998 #Prank #MomentsOfLife #MoofLife_Moment #MoofLife