Legend - Bill Gates

Bill Gates

Who ?

Bill Gates is an American business magnate, philanthropist, author and chairman of Microsoft. Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs who led to the personal computer revolution. Gates has also pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors, donating large sums of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs. In addition to his love for computers and software, Gates founded Corbis, one of the world's largest resources of visual information. He is also a member of the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which invests in companies engaged in diverse business activities. He is considered as one of most influential and philanthropic business leaders in the world.

How ?

Gates was born in Seattle, Washington, to William H. Gates, Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates. Gates attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began software programming at age 13. In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University where he developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer - the MITS Altair.  In his junior year, Gates left Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with his friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers. Gates' foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry.

Characteristics

1. Computer Tycoon
2. The Philanthropist
3. Influential Revolutionist

Facts

Full Name : William Henry "Bill" Gates III

Birth Date : October 28, 1955

Other Interests :

◦Coauthored and authored a number of books including "Business @ the Speed of Thought", a book that shows how computer technology can solve business problems in fundamentally new ways.

◦In year 2000, established charitable foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning.

Forbes has consistently ranked him among the world's wealthiest people and was the wealthiest overall from 1995 to 2009, excluding 2008, when he was ranked third.

Time magazine named Gates - one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century, as well as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, and 2006.