Bill Gates (1955- ) is a tech mogul, industry pioneer, and philanthropist. He is cofounder of Microsoft and one of the key leaders in the Microcomputer Revolution that began in the 1970’s and 80’s. As of October 2021, Forbes lists Gates’ estimated net worth at $130.7 billion.

Gates was born in Seattle, Washington but founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1975. The company came into being when Gates and his childhood friend, Paul Allen, were working on a microcomputer that could help run a BASIC interpreter for Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS). After Microsoft’s invention (called ALTAIR BASIC) was leaked to the public and used without payment, Gates and Allen chose to split from MITS in 1976.

The company slowly grew from there and in 1980, IBM reached out to Microsoft for help. At first, IBM just wanted Gates and Allen to create a BASIC interpreter for IBM’s new computer but Microsoft eventually ended up producing IBM’s entire operating system. The world soon took notice and Microsoft rapidly became the frontrunner in an exponentially growing software industry.

In 1985, Microsoft released their first retail software program known as Windows. Gates served as the CEO of Microsoft until 2000 but kept his title as Chairman of the Board until 2014, when he stepped down to focus his efforts on philanthropic work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which Wikipedia reports as the world’s largest private charity. He has donated huge amounts of his fortune in order to tackle issues around the world including fighting polio in Africa, climate change, and equal education opportunities. 

Gates is a hero of capitalism for his pioneering work with computers that has improved society, our economies, communication, and so much more. 

Sources:

Wikipedia entry

Forbes Profile

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation