It's probably as unlikely that you would nowadays become as rich and famous as Bill Gates, as it was unlikely in the 17th century that you would accede to the ranks of the French aristocracy.
Wahrscheinlich ist es heutzutage ebenso unwahrscheinlich, so reich und berühmt wie Bill Gates zu werden, wie es im 17. Jahrhundert war, in die Ränke des französischen Adels aufzusteigen.