Bill Gates

Bill Gates
Born	William Henry Gates III 28 10, 1955
Birthplace	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Businessman, philanthropist, investor, author
Title	Technology adviser, Microsoft; Chairman, Gates Foundation
Known for	Co-founding Microsoft, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Giving Pledge
Education	Harvard University (dropped out)
Children	3
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)
Website	[https://www.gatesnotes.com/ Official site]

William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955), known universally as Bill Gates, is an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and author who co-founded Microsoft Corporation, the world's largest personal computer software company, with his childhood friend Paul Allen in 1975. A central figure of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, Gates led Microsoft as its chief executive officer for twenty-five years, overseeing its transformation from a small software startup into one of the most valuable corporations in the world. Following Microsoft's initial public offering in 1986, the rapid appreciation of its stock price made Gates the world's youngest self-made billionaire in 1987, at the age of thirty-one. Forbes magazine ranked him as the world's wealthiest person for eighteen of twenty-four years between 1995 and 2017, including thirteen consecutive years from 1995 to 2007. In 1999, he became the first centibillionaire, with a net worth briefly surpassing US$100 billion. Over the past two decades, Gates has shifted his focus from the technology industry to philanthropic endeavors through the Gates Foundation (formerly the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), the world's largest private charitable organization, which has directed billions of dollars toward global health, education, and poverty alleviation. In 2025, he published the first of three planned memoirs, Source Code: My Beginnings.

Early Life

William Henry Gates III was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, into a prominent and civic-minded family. His father, William Henry Gates II, was a prominent Seattle attorney, and his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates, served on the board of directors of several organizations, including First Interstate BancSystem and the United Way of America. Gates grew up in a household that valued education, competition, and community engagement, alongside his two sisters, Kristianne and Libby.

Gates's interest in computing began at an early age. In 1968, when he was thirteen years old, he enrolled at Lakeside School, an exclusive private preparatory school in Seattle. Lakeside proved to be a formative environment for the young Gates, as the school's Mothers' Club used proceeds from a rummage sale to purchase a Teletype Model 33 ASR terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric mainframe computer for the school's students. Gates became captivated by the machine and began spending much of his free time programming. It was at Lakeside that Gates befriended Paul Allen, a student two years his senior who shared his enthusiasm for computers. The two bonded over their fascination with programming and quickly began collaborating on projects together.

Gates and Allen, along with other Lakeside students, gained access to a PDP-10 computer owned by Computer Center Corporation (CCC). The young programmers exploited bugs in the operating system to obtain free computer time, but when CCC discovered this, the company banned the group from using the system for a period. After the ban was lifted, Gates and his friends offered to find bugs in CCC's software in exchange for additional computer time. This arrangement gave Gates extensive hands-on experience and deepened his understanding of software systems. Gates also formed a venture called the Lakeside Programmers Group with Allen and other students, which received a commission from Information Sciences Inc. to write a payroll program and secured additional computing time for personal projects.

Gates was a National Merit Scholar, reflecting his high academic aptitude.

Education

In 1973, Gates enrolled at Harvard University, one of the most selective institutions in the United States. At Harvard, he pursued a broad curriculum that included advanced mathematics and graduate-level computer science courses. Among the courses he took was Math 55, a notoriously demanding freshman mathematics class. While Gates excelled academically, his primary passion remained computing, and he spent considerable time in Harvard's computer labs rather than attending classes regularly.

During his time at Harvard, Gates maintained close contact with Paul Allen, who had moved to the Boston area and was working at Honeywell. The two continued to discuss opportunities in the nascent personal computer industry. In January 1975, when the MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer appeared on the cover of Popular Electronics, Gates and Allen recognized the potential of the emerging market and contacted MITS to offer a BASIC programming language interpreter for the machine. The success of this endeavor convinced Gates to leave Harvard in 1975, during his junior year, to devote himself full-time to the software company he and Allen were building. He did not complete his undergraduate degree, though Harvard later awarded him an honorary degree.

Career

Founding Microsoft

In 1975, Gates and Allen formally established Microsoft (originally styled "Micro-Soft") in Albuquerque, New Mexico, near the headquarters of MITS, the manufacturer of the Altair 8800. Their initial product was a BASIC interpreter for the Altair, which they had developed in a matter of weeks. The interpreter proved successful, and Microsoft soon began developing programming language software for other personal computer platforms. Gates served as the company's chief executive and primary business strategist, while Allen focused more on the technical side of development.

From the outset, Gates demonstrated an acute business sense. He insisted on licensing Microsoft's software to hardware manufacturers rather than selling it outright, a strategy that would prove enormously profitable as the personal computer industry expanded. Gates also wrote an "Open Letter to Hobbyists" in 1976, arguing against the widespread copying of software and asserting the rights of software developers to be compensated for their work — an early and influential statement in the debate over software intellectual property.

The IBM Partnership and Rise to Dominance

Microsoft's breakthrough came in 1980, when International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) approached the company about providing an operating system for its upcoming personal computer. Gates and Allen acquired an operating system called QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) from Seattle Computer Products, adapted it for the IBM PC, and licensed it to IBM as MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System). Crucially, the agreement allowed Microsoft to license MS-DOS to other manufacturers as well, a provision that would become the foundation of the company's dominance as the IBM PC architecture became the industry standard and numerous "clone" manufacturers entered the market.

When Microsoft was incorporated in 1981, Gates became its president and chairman of the board in addition to serving as CEO. Throughout the 1980s, he drove the company's expansion into new software categories, including word processing and spreadsheet applications. Microsoft's most transformative product of this era was Windows, a graphical operating system first released in 1985 that eventually supplanted MS-DOS. Successive versions of Windows became the dominant operating system for personal computers worldwide, generating enormous revenue and solidifying Microsoft's position as the preeminent software company.

Microsoft's IPO and Global Expansion

Microsoft's initial public offering took place on March 13, 1986, at a price of $21 per share. The offering raised $61 million for the company and, as the stock price climbed in subsequent years, made Gates extraordinarily wealthy. By 1987, at the age of thirty-one, the rising stock price made him the youngest self-made billionaire in history at that time. The rapid growth of the personal computer market in the late 1980s and 1990s, combined with the near-ubiquity of Windows and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity applications, drove continued increases in the company's valuation.

During the 1990s, Gates led Microsoft into the internet era, albeit after initially underestimating the significance of the World Wide Web. He pivoted the company's strategy with a 1995 memo titled "The Internet Tidal Wave," which reoriented Microsoft toward internet-connected software and led to the development of Internet Explorer, the company's web browser. This period also saw the launch of Windows 95, one of the most commercially successful software products in history. Forbes magazine first ranked Gates as the world's wealthiest person in 1995, a distinction he would hold for thirteen consecutive years through 2007.

Antitrust Challenges

Microsoft's dominant market position attracted regulatory scrutiny. In 1998, the United States Department of Justice and twenty state attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company, alleging that it had engaged in anti-competitive practices, particularly in bundling Internet Explorer with Windows to disadvantage rival browsers such as Netscape Navigator. In 2000, a federal judge ruled that Microsoft had violated antitrust laws and ordered the company to be broken into two separate units. The ruling was later partially overturned on appeal, and Microsoft reached a settlement with the government in 2001. The antitrust case was a defining event in both Microsoft's corporate history and the broader technology industry, and it drew significant public attention to Gates's leadership style and business practices.

Transition from Microsoft Leadership

In January 2000, Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft, handing the role to Steve Ballmer, a close friend and Harvard classmate who had been one of the company's earliest employees. Gates assumed the new title of chief software architect, a role in which he remained involved in the development of key products and technologies. He held this position until 2008.

In February 2014, Gates stepped down as chairman of Microsoft's board of directors and took on a new role as technology adviser to Satya Nadella, who had succeeded Ballmer as CEO. In March 2020, Gates resigned from Microsoft's board of directors entirely, though he continued to serve as a technology adviser. His gradual withdrawal from the company he co-founded reflected his increasing commitment to philanthropic work and other ventures.

In a 2026 account, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recounted that Gates had initially been skeptical of the company's large investment in OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research laboratory. According to Nadella, Gates told him, "Yeah, you're going to burn this billion dollars," though Microsoft proceeded with the investment, which proved highly consequential for the company's position in the artificial intelligence industry.

Other Business Ventures

Beyond Microsoft, Gates founded and chaired several other companies and investment vehicles. Cascade Investment, a private holding company, manages the bulk of Gates's diversified investment portfolio, which spans real estate, energy, hospitality, and other sectors. Gates also founded TerraPower, a nuclear energy company focused on developing next-generation nuclear reactor technology. As of 2026, TerraPower was constructing an advanced nuclear facility at the site of a retired coal plant, a project described in media reports as an effort to build an "artificial sun" that could serve as a replacement for coal-fired power generation in the United States.

Gates is also the founder of Breakthrough Energy, an initiative that invests in and supports the development of clean energy technologies, and Gates Ventures, his private office through which he pursues various projects and investments. He additionally founded BEN (Branded Entertainment Network), a company focused on digital advertising and product placement.

Personal Life

Gates married Melinda French on January 1, 1994, in Lanai, Hawaii. The couple has three children, including their youngest daughter, Phoebe Gates.

In May 2021, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce after twenty-seven years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in August 2021. Following the separation, Melinda French Gates continued to co-chair the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation until 2024, when she resigned from the role. The foundation was subsequently renamed the Gates Foundation, with Gates serving as its sole chair.

Gates's primary residence is a large estate known as Xanadu 2.0, located in Medina, Washington, on the shores of Lake Washington. The property, which took seven years to build and was completed in 1997, is noted for its high-technology features and its estimated value of over $100 million. In February 2026, a neighboring property described as a "buffer home" adjacent to the Xanadu 2.0 estate was listed for $4.8 million and went under contract within six days, though the buyer's identity was not publicly disclosed.

Gates has spoken publicly about limiting his own children's access to technology. He has been cited among several prominent technology industry figures who have imposed strict screen-time limits on their children, despite having built their wealth through the very technology products they restrict.

Philanthropy

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

In 2000, Gates and his then-wife Melinda established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which became the world's largest private charitable organization. The foundation focuses on several core areas, including global health, education, and poverty alleviation. Gates became particularly known for his efforts to combat transmissible diseases in the developing world, directing significant resources toward fighting tuberculosis, malaria, and polio. The foundation's global health programs have contributed to vaccination campaigns, the development of new medical technologies, and efforts to strengthen health systems in low-income countries.

In addition to health, the foundation has invested heavily in education reform in the United States and in agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The foundation's endowment has grown to be one of the largest in the world, and its annual grant-making has exceeded that of many national governments' foreign aid budgets.

Following the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates, Melinda French Gates resigned as co-chair of the foundation in 2024. The organization was renamed the Gates Foundation, and Gates assumed the role of sole chair.

The Giving Pledge

In 2010, Gates and his close friend Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, launched the Giving Pledge, a commitment by the world's wealthiest individuals and families to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes, either during their lifetimes or in their wills. The initiative has attracted pledges from hundreds of billionaires around the world. Gates has repeatedly stated his intention to give away virtually all of his wealth, and he has donated tens of billions of dollars to the Gates Foundation and other charitable causes over the course of his career.

Recognition

Gates has received numerous awards and honors for both his contributions to the technology industry and his philanthropic work. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century in 1999. He has appeared on Time's list of the most influential people of the year on multiple occasions.

In 2016, Gates and Melinda French Gates were jointly awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in recognition of their philanthropic contributions, particularly in the areas of global health and education. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the United States.

Gates has been the subject of several documentary films and books examining his career and philanthropic endeavors. In 2019, the Netflix documentary series Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates provided an in-depth look at his post-Microsoft career and the work of the Gates Foundation.

In 2025, Gates published Source Code: My Beginnings, the first volume of a planned three-part memoir series. The book covers his early life, his experiences at Lakeside School and Harvard, and the founding of Microsoft.

Gates has been consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest individuals by Forbes and Bloomberg. Forbes ranked him as the world's wealthiest person for eighteen of twenty-four years between 1995 and 2017. As of February 2026, Forbes estimated his net worth at approximately US$107.7 billion, making him the eighteenth-wealthiest individual in the world.

Legacy

Gates's impact on the technology industry and on global philanthropy has been substantial and far-reaching. As the co-founder and long-time leader of Microsoft, he played a central role in establishing the personal computer as a ubiquitous tool in homes, schools, and offices around the world. The Windows operating system and Microsoft Office suite became foundational products of the digital age, shaping how billions of people interact with technology. Microsoft's business model — licensing software to hardware manufacturers — became a template for the software industry and generated immense wealth for Gates, his co-founder, and the company's employees and shareholders.

Gates's transition from technology executive to philanthropist in the early 2000s marked a second phase of his public life. Through the Gates Foundation, he directed billions of dollars toward global health challenges, contributing to efforts that have saved millions of lives according to public health researchers. His focus on diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and polio, as well as his investments in vaccine development and distribution, have made the Gates Foundation one of the most consequential actors in international public health.

The Giving Pledge, co-founded with Warren Buffett, has influenced the broader culture of billionaire philanthropy, encouraging some of the world's wealthiest people to commit to giving away significant portions of their fortunes. Gates's advocacy for evidence-based approaches to philanthropy has also shaped how large-scale charitable organizations measure and evaluate the impact of their work.

Gates's investments in clean energy through Breakthrough Energy and TerraPower reflect his interest in addressing climate change through technological innovation. TerraPower's advanced nuclear reactor projects represent an attempt to develop new forms of carbon-free energy generation that could replace fossil fuel power plants.

As both a technology pioneer and a philanthropist, Gates remains one of the most prominent and scrutinized public figures of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.