Bill Gates

William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington, to William Henry Gates Jr., a prominent lawyer, and Mary (Maxwell) Gates, an educator and university regent. Gates displayed an early aptitude for computers, which was fostered at Lakeside School, a private institution where he gained access to a Digital training terminal. This early exposure, alongside Paul Allen, ignited his passion for programming and laid the groundwork for his future endeavors. He attended Harvard University with intentions of studying law, but his focus shifted after reading about the Altair 8800, the first commercially available microcomputer. In 1975, Gates and Allen developed a BASIC interpreter for the Altair, leading them to drop out of college and co-found Microsoft. Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft became a dominant force in the software industry. A pivotal moment occurred when Microsoft secured a deal with IBM to provide an operating system, leading to the development and licensing of MS-DOS. This success was followed by the introduction of the Windows operating system, which revolutionized personal computing and cemented Microsoft's position. Gates held various leadership roles, including chairman, CEO, and chief software architect, and was the largest individual shareholder until 2014. From 1995 to 2017, he was frequently recognized as the wealthiest person in the world. In 1994, he married Melinda French, and together they established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which became the largest private charitable foundation globally, focusing on improving global health and reducing poverty. Gates gradually transitioned from his full-time role at Microsoft in 2006 to dedicate more time to the foundation's philanthropic initiatives, fully stepping down from the board in 2020.