Bill Gates is a business entrepreneur and computer programmer from the United States who co-founded Microsoft, the world’s largest PC software firm. Since the company’s inception in 1975, Gates has held various positions, including the chairman, CEO, and chief software architect. Since 1987, he has been rated among the world’s wealthiest individuals as one of the most recognized entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. Bill Gates, the son of a renowned lawyer, was raised to be competitive from a young age. As a young adolescent, he took an interest in computers while at school and constructed his first computer program. After finishing high school, he enrolled at Harvard College, albeit he did not stay long enough to complete his studies. He quit University to pursue his computer interest and formed Microsoft with a former classmate, Paul Allen. The firm was a huge success, and Gates became a globally renowned entrepreneur within a few years. Bill Gates, one of the world’s wealthiest people, is a well-known philanthropist, and he and his ex-wife founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has also written and co-written many novels. He has also written and co-written many novels.
Childhood and Early Life
- On October 28, 1955, he was born William Henry “Bill” Gates III, the son of William H. Gates, Sr., and Mary Maxwell Gates. His father was a well-known lawyer, and his mother served on the boards of First Interstate BancSystem and the United Way. He has two younger sisters.
- He attended Lakeside School, where he became interested in computing. He was just 13 years old when he built his first software program on the school computer, and by high school, he and some of his pals had automated their school’s payment system.
- Paul Allen, his future business partner, was a senior at Lakeside. At 17, Gates and Allen formed Traf-O-Data, a company that made traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 CPU.
- In 1973, he graduated from high school. He was a National Merit Scholar with an SAT score of 1590 out of 1600. Later that year, he enrolled at Harvard College. He spent much time on computers as a college student, despite his lack of interest in other topics. Bill’s friend Allen urged that he drop out of college and establish his own business.
Career
- In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft (Micro-Soft). They began by modifying BASIC, a popular programming language for microcomputers. It was a success, and they went on to create programming language software for a variety of platforms.
- In 1980, International Business Machine (IBM) contacted the team to propose that Microsoft build the BASIC interpreter for IBM’s planned personal computer, the IBM PC. Microsoft developed the PC DOS operating system, which they provided to IBM for a one-time price of $50,000.
- Microsoft’s operating systems quickly gained popularity, and on November 20, 1985, the firm released Windows, a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS. Over the years, Windows came to dominate the world’s computer industry, capturing more than 90% of the market. The firm saw extraordinary financial success, and Bill Gates accumulated a substantial fortune as the company’s largest individual shareholder.
- Microsoft Office was first released in 1989. The package combined multiple applications, such as Microsoft Word and Excel, into a single system that worked with all Microsoft products. Microsoft’s success with MS Office gave it a virtual monopoly on PC operating systems.
- When the internet began to expand at an alarming rate throughout the world in the mid-1990s, Gates concentrated Microsoft on the creation of consumer and corporate software solutions for the internet. The Windows CE operating system platform and the Microsoft Network were the novel solutions produced during this period.
- Gates stepped aside as CEO of Microsoft in January 2000, although he kept his chairmanship. He established a new post for himself as Chief Software Architect. Over the next few years, Steve increasingly delegated his responsibilities at Microsoft and began devoting more time to charity endeavors. He stood down as Microsoft’s Chairman in February 2014 and now acts as a technical advisor to CEO Satya Nadella.
Major Projects
Bill Gates is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft, the global technology corporation now one of the most valuable in the world. In terms of revenue, it is the world’s largest software manufacturer.
Achievements and Awards
- Bill and Melinda Gates received the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service to the Disadvantaged in 2002.
- In 2010, Gates won The Franklin Institute’s Bower Award for Business Leadership in honor of his achievements at Microsoft and humanitarian activity.
- In 2015, Bill and Melinda Gates were awarded India’s third highest civilian accolade, the Padma Bhushan, for their foundation’s humanitarian achievements in India.
Philanthropic Contributions
- In 1999, he contributed US$20 million to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop a computer laboratory named the “William H. Gates Building.”
- Bill Gates established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF or the Gates Foundation) in 2000 with his then-wife, Melinda. It is the world’s biggest private foundation to improve healthcare and reduce severe poverty globally.
- In 2010, Gates, fellow billionaire investor Warren Buffett, and Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg signed the “Gates-Buffet Giving Pledge,” pledging to contribute at least half of their wealth to charity over time.
Top 10 Bill Gates Facts You Didn’t Know
- Trey was his childhood nickname.
- Bill Gates’ first computer application was a tic-tac-toe game.
- He used to boast as a student that he would be a billionaire by 30—he became one by 31!
- Gates was arrested in 1977 in New Mexico for driving without a license.
- In 1994, he paid $30.8 million for the Codex Leicester, a collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s works.
- Bill Gates’ greatest regret is that he is illiterate in other languages.
- Despite being buddies with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, he is not active on Facebook.
- He would have been an artificial intelligence researcher if Microsoft had not worked out.
- Despite his enormous riches, Gates claims that his children will receive only $10 million.
- ‘Business Adventures by John Brooks, released in 1969, is his all-time favorite business book.
