Bill Gates

Bill Gates, born as William Henry Gates III, is the co-founder and Chairman of Microsoft, the leading software company of the world. Presently (2008), he is also the second richest man of the world, as declared by Forbes. In the past years, 1995 to 2007, he was consistently held the position of the richest man of the world. Till date, he has held the positions of CEO and Chief Software Architect in Microsoft. Even today, he is the largest individual shareholder of Microsoft, with more than 9 percent of the common stock.

Childhood

Bill Gates was born as William Henry Gates III on 28th October 1955, in Seattle (Unites States). One of the three children of William Henry Gates II, a Seattle attorney, he was also the only son. His mother, late Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, Regent of University of Washington, and Chairwoman of United Way International. He spent his childhood in Seattle and attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. It was there that he started developing an interest in software. Bill Gates was only 13 when he began programming computers.

Later Life

Bill Gates enrolled in Harvard University in 1973, as a freshman, to study computer science. While at the university, he developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer - the MITS Altair. He founded his own company Micro-Soft, to be later known as Microsoft, in the year 1975, in partnership with Paul Allen, his childhood friend. The same year i.e. his third year at Harvard, he left the university to completely concentrate on Micro-Soft and started developing software for personal computers.

The very next year, Microsoft was registered as a trademark and four years later, it was moved from Albuquerque to Bellevue (Washington). In 1981, Bill incorporated Microsoft and became the President and the Chairman of the Board. He was honored with the ‘National Medal of Technology for Technological Achievement’, presented by President George Bush in the year 1992. Bill Gates married Melinda French in 1994 and the next year, he was declared as world’s richest man by Forbes, for the first time.

The next thirteen years i.e. till 2007, he continued to hold the title. It is only in the current year (2008) that Bill Gates has slipped to the position of world’s third richest man. In 1995, Bill’s first book, ‘The Road Ahead’, was released and became an instant hit. In 1999, Gates wrote his second book, Business @ the Speed of Thought, which was published in 25 languages and 60 countries. It was also listed as a bestseller on the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon.com.

Bill Gates donated the proceeds of both his books to non-profit organizations that support the use of technology in education and skills development. He is a dedicated philanthropist and founded the ‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’, with his wife, in the year 2000. From 2000 to 2006, Bill served as the Chief Software Architect and Chairman of Microsoft. It was only in 2006 that he announced that he will stop handling day-to-day operations of Microsoft by July 2008 and will remain only as the Chairman of Microsoft.

Bill Gates Timeline

• 1955: Born as William Henry Gates III in Seattle, on 28th October 1955
• 1973: Enrolled in Harvard to study computer science
• 1975: Founded Micro-Soft (now Microsoft) with Paul Allen, his childhood friend, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
• 1975: Dropped out of Harvard during his third year
• 1975 - 2000: Served as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Microsoft
• 1976: Registered Microsoft as a trade name
• 1979: Moved Microsoft from Albuquerque to Bellevue, Washington
• 1981: Microsoft incorporated, Became President & Chairman of the board
• 1990: Spoke at Comdex tradeshow
• 1992: Awarded ‘National Medal of Technology for Technological Achievement’ by President George Bush
• 1994: Married Melinda French
• 1995: Declared as ‘World’s Richest Man’ by Forbes
• 1995: Released the book, ‘The Road Ahead’
• 1998: Antitrust Court case United States vs. Microsoft
• 1999: His worth passed $100bn mark
• 1999: Wrote ‘Business @ the Speed of Thought’
• 2000: Founded Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with his wife
• 2000-2006: Served as the Chief Software Architect and Chairman of Microsoft
• 2006: Announced that he will cease handling day-to-day operations by July 2008, but will remain as the Chairman of Microsoft and an Advisor on key development projects