Bill Gates shares throwback picture of him holding a CD-ROM from 1994. Here's why it's an iconic image

Bill Gates shared a picture captured in 1994. The image of him holding a CD-ROM has left people intrigued.

Bill Gates took to Instagram to share a picture, which has taken many to a walk down memory lane. The photo captured nearly 30 years ago shows the tech billionaire holding a newly invented storage device - Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM).

The image shows Bill Gates sitting on a stack of paper while holding a CD-ROM. (Instagram/@thisisbillgates)

"Thirty years ago, we wanted to show just how much information a single CD-ROM could hold. The team decided a visual demonstration was necessary!" Bill Gates wrote alongside the picture.

The image, captured in 1994, shows him sitting on a high stack of paper, and another stack is kept just parallel to it. A young Gates is seen holding a CD-ROM and smiling at the camera.

Besides being visually impressive, the picture is no doubt significant. At that point, it showed how much data could be stored in a single disk, which would otherwise have taken a massive quantity of paper. Though a disk feels like a relic with the emergence of advanced storage devices, this picture will always remain iconic because it is a testament to the advancement in technology achieved by humankind.

Take a look at Bill Gates' post here:

The post was shared a little over eight hours ago. Since then, the share has collected more than 93,000 likes and the numbers are quickly increasing. The post has also prompted people to share varied comments. While some were amazed to see this picture, others reminisced about the days when CD-ROM was the latest invention.

What did Instagram users say about Bill Gates' post?

"Knowledge is not power. The implementation of knowledge is power," posted an Instagram user.

"Fantastic Bill. You changed the world and the mindset of people forever," added another.

"This is crazy," joined a third and wrapped up the post with a fire emoticon.

"I have that National Geographic magazine! Most explained picture ever!" shared a fourth.

"Wow, time flies. It looks like it was yesterday when CDs were invented," wrote a fifth.