Bill Gates, born William Henry Gates III on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, is an American entrepreneur, software developer, investor, and philanthropist. He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, one of the world's leading technology companies, and for his extensive philanthropic work through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gates grew up in an upper-middle-class family and attended the private Lakeside School, where he developed an early interest in programming and computers. At age 13, he wrote his first software program, a tic-tac-toe game. While at Lakeside, Gates met Paul Allen, who would later become his business partner and co-founder of Microsoft.
In 1973, Gates enrolled at Harvard University, where he studied mathematics and computer science. However, he did not complete his degree, as he decided to drop out of Harvard in 1975 to pursue a business venture with Paul Allen.
In 1975, Gates and Allen founded Microsoft (initially called "Micro-Soft") to develop and sell the programming language interpreter Altair BASIC for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. Microsoft quickly gained traction in the growing personal computer industry, and in 1980, the company struck a deal with IBM to develop an operating system for its new line of personal computers. The result, MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System), became the foundation of Microsoft's success in the software industry.
In 1985, Microsoft released its first version of the Windows operating system, which would go on to become the dominant operating system for personal computers worldwide. Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft expanded its product offerings to include office productivity software, server software, and other technologies.
Gates served as Microsoft's CEO until 2000, when he stepped down to focus on his role as Chief Software Architect. In 2006, he transitioned to a part-time role at the company and began to dedicate more of his time to philanthropy. In 2008, he stepped down from his day-to-day role at Microsoft but remained as the company's Chairman until 2014. He left the Microsoft board in 2020 to focus on his philanthropic endeavors.
In 2000, Gates and his then-wife, Melinda, established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has become one of the world's largest private charitable foundations. The foundation focuses on a variety of global issues, including healthcare, education, poverty alleviation, and access to technology. The foundation has donated billions of dollars to various causes and has played a significant role in global health initiatives, such as the fight against infectious diseases like malaria and polio.
Bill Gates has been recognized for his contributions to technology and philanthropy, receiving numerous awards and honors, including being named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2005 (along with his wife, Melinda, and U2's Bono) and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016. Gates is also one of the world's wealthiest individuals, consistently appearing on Forbes' annual list of billionaires.
Gates is an influential figure in the technology industry and a prominent advocate for global health, climate change mitigation, and other critical issues. He has authored several books, including "The Road Ahead" (1995), "Business @ the Speed of Thought" (1999), and "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" (2021), which offer insights into his vision for the future of technology and global challenges.
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