No one who has read Terry Pratchett will be surprised that he has deep insight into human nature.
His books are full of explorations of what motivates humans and how humans misunderstand each other. They are also frequently hilarious.
Bill Gates quote seems to reveal an expectation that humans would respect authority and be guided by it in their decision making -- which shows a shallow understanding of human nature.
The quote also anticipates that information distribution would flow through personal and professional connections and interests rather than being organized in a way to generate the most ad revenue possible.