WATCH: Bill Gates Tells Boy Scouts to End Gay Ban, 'Because it's 2013'

Bill Gates learned a lot of things in the Boy Scouts — how to tie knots, weave baskets, and endure long hikes — but he didn't learn how to discriminate.

At the first installment of Politico's new interview series, "Playbook Cocktails," the Microsoft founder on Wednesday told Mike Allen that it's time for the Boy Scouts to end its long-standing ban on gay members.

When Allen, Politico's D.C. Bureau Chief, asked the philanthropist if the Scouts should rescind its ban, Gates didn't hesitate.

"Absolutely," responded Gates. When pressed as to why, he provided a no-nonsense answer: "Because it's 2013," said the billionaire, prompting a round of enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Gates has long been an ally, donating hundreds of millions of dollars to the global fight against HIV/AIDS through Microsoft and his charitable Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and most recently personally donating $100,000 toward the successful effort to legalize marriage equality in Washington state last year. Watch the exchange below, and check out the full interview at Politico.