Biography of entrepreneurs bill gates

1955–present

Bill Gates News: Entrepreneur Reflects on His Childhood In New Memoir

Bill Gates is sharing exclusive insight into his childhood in his new memoir that hit shelves on February 4. The first of a three-volume autobiography, Source Code: My Beginnings details the Microsoft founder and philanthropist’s early years, including his upbringing and passion for computers.

In the book, Gates recalls using a computer for the first time at school and writing his first computer program—a game of tic-tac-toe—at the age of 13. “I made a lot of errors trying to figure that out,” he wrote. “A game of tic-tac-toe is so simple, even kids learn it quickly. But it felt like a triumph to get a machine to do it.”

Gates also recounts sneaking out his bedroom window at night to write code as a teenager and staying awake for 36 hours straight to study programming while attending Harvard University. The memoir ends with the 69-year-old revealing that he might be neurodivergent, claiming that he “would probably be diagnosed with autism” if he were a kid now.

“My parents had no guideposts or textbooks to help them grasp why their son became so obsessed with certain projects, missed social cues and could be rude and inappropriate without seeming to notice his effect on others,” he shared elsewhere in the book. Gates credits his parents for helping him with his social skills by sending him to therapy and private school and getting him involved in sports.

Who Is Bill Gates?

Entrepreneur Bill Gates is the cofounder of Microsoft and a noted philanthropist. He started his business with Paul Allen in 1975. Through technological innovation, keen business strategy, and aggressive business tactics, Gates helped build the world’s largest software company and became a billionaire in the process. The Seattle native resigned as Microsoft’s CEO in 2000, the same year he cofounded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (n

Bill Gates is perhaps the most well-known computer businessman in history. Not only did he start the most popular computing company of all time, Microsoft, but he also changed the way computers were made and marketed forever.

His entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen are worth studying. So let's take a closer look at Bill Gates, his history, how he started his famous company and his current philanthropic endeavors.

Who is Bill Gates?

William Henry Gates III is best known as the founder and leader of Microsoft. He created the company in 1975 with his business partner Paul Allen. Though Paul Allen left the company some years later, William H. Gates remained with Microsoft for decades, heading it as the CEO until he left the position in 2000.

Gates remained with Microsoft until 2008, then retired to take a position on the board of advisors. Since then, he has primarily acted as a business investor and charity leader, driving positive developments worldwide as the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and his involvement in other organizations.

Related: The 5-Hour Rule Used by Bill Gates, Jack Ma and Elon Musk

How did Bill Gates start Microsoft?

Although many don't know it, Bill Gates didn't start Microsoft alone. His pursuit began when he attended Lakeside High School in Seattle. There, he met a fellow student named Paul Allen; together, they worked in the school's computer room for hours on end.

By the time the duo was 16, Bill Gates and Paul Allen went into business together, securing investment funds to develop the "Traf-O-Data" software program to measure traffic flow throughout the Seattle Metro area. This was the first business partnership that the two collaborated on, but it wouldn't be the last.

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Harvard and the Altair 8800

Though Bill Gates attended Harvard University, he didn't focus much on his studies. After reading a magazine article in December 1974 about t

American businessman and philanthropist (born 1955)

This article is about the co-founder of Microsoft. For other people with the same name, see Bill Gates (disambiguation).

William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist best known for co-founding the software company Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen. He later held the positions of chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief software architect of the company. Gates was also its largest individual shareholder until May 2014. He was a pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s.

In June 2008, Gates transitioned into a part-time role at Microsoft and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the private charitable foundation he and his then-wife Melinda had established in 2000. He stepped down as chairman of the Microsoft board in February 2014 and assumed the role of technology adviser to support newly appointed CEO Satya Nadella. In March 2020, Gates left his board positions at Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway to focus on his philanthropic efforts on climate change, global health and development, and education.

Gates was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. In 1975, he and Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Gates led the company as its chairman and chief executive officer until stepping down as CEO in January 2000, succeeded by Steve Ballmer, but he remained chairman of the board of directors and became chief software architect. During the late 1990s, he was criticized for his business tactics, which were considered anti-competitive.

Since 1987, Gates has been included in the Forbeslist of the world's top billionaires. From 1995 to 2017, he held the title of the wealthiest person in the world every year except in 2008 and from 2010 to 2013. In 1999, he became the first ever centibillionaire when his net worth briefly surpassed US$100 billion. S

What I do for work, fulfillment, and fun | Bill Gates

Bill Gates gives an inside look at his life—his work in tech, climate, and philanthropy; books, TV shows, and other personal interests; and family and friends.

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