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Bill Gates

Gates was born William Henry Gates III on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. Gates founded and built the world’s largest software company known as Microsoft. He became one of the richest men in the world. Then in February 2014, Gates announced that he was stepping down as Microsoft's chairman to focus on charitable work at his foundation.

Early Education

At the age of 13, Gate’s parents enrolled him at Seattle's exclusive preparatory Lakeside School. While at Lakeside School, a Seattle computer company offered to provide computer time for the students. Gates became obsessed with computers and wrote a tic-tac-toe program that allowed users to play against the computer.

College

Gates attended Harvard University only dropped out in 1975 to pursue his business, Microsoft, with partner and friend Paul Allen. He and Allen attended High School together. They both enjoyed computers and their friendship took off. They often had arguments and at one point they had their school computer privileges revoked for taking advantage of software glitches to obtain free computer time from the company that provided the computers. After their probation, they were allowed back in the computer lab when they offered to debug the program. Gates and Allen spent more of his time in the computer lab than in class. Both Gates and Allen were fascinated with the possibilities of what this computer could create in the world of personal computing.  Bill Gates and Founding Microsoft

The company's first product was BASIC software that ran on the Altair computer. Although Microsoft’s BASIC software program for the Altair computer netted the company a fee and royalties, it wasn't meeting their overhead. According to Gates' later account, only about 10 percent of the people using BASIC in the Altair computer had actually paid for it. Microsoft's BASIC software was popular with computer hobbyists, who obtained pre-market copies and were reproducing and distributing them for free.  Microsoft’s Software for IBM PCs

As the computer industry grew, with companies like Apple, Intel and IBM developing hardware and components, Gates was continuously on the road touting the merits of Microsoft software applications.

In November 1985, Gates and Microsoft launched Windows. Apple had previously given Microsoft full access to their technology while it was working on making Microsoft products compatible for Apple computers. Apple threatened to sue, and Microsoft retaliated, saying it would delay shipment of its Microsoft-compatible software for Macintosh users. In the end, Microsoft prevailed in the courts.

A Competitive Reputation

Despite the success of Microsoft, Gates never felt totally secure. Gates' intelligence allowed him to see all sides of the software industry, from product development to corporate strategy. He expected everyone in the company to have the same dedication. This was as much a test of the rigor of the employee as it was Gates' passion for his company.  Bill Gates’s Wife and Children

In 1987, a 23-year-old Microsoft product manager named Melinda French caught the eye of Gates, then 32. The very bright and organized Melinda was a perfect match for Gates. On January 1, 1994, Melinda and Gates were married in Hawaii.

Bill Gates's Personal Wealth

In March 1986, Gates took Microsoft public with an initial public offering of $21 per share, making him an instant millionaire at age 31. Gates held 45 percent of the company's 24.7 million shares, making his stake at that time $234 million of Microsoft's $520 million. Over time, the company's stock increased in value and split numerous times.  Awards and Projects

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: In February 2014, Gates announced that he was stepping down as Microsoft's chairman to focus on charitable work at his foundation. With Melinda's influence, Bill had taken an interest in becoming a civic leader in the footsteps of his mother, studying the philanthropic work of American industrial titans Andrew Carnegie and John D. In 2000, the couple combined several family foundations and made a $28 billion contribution to form the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Over the next few years, Bill’s involvement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation occupied much of his time and even more of his interest. Since stepping down from Microsoft, Gates devotes much of his time and energy to the work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In April 2018, Gates announced that he was teaming with Google co-founder Larry Page to provide $12 million in funding for a universal flu vaccine.

Alzheimer’s research: Gates spent $50 million toward start-up ventures working in Alzheimer’s research.  Building a 'Smart City' in Arizona

In 2017, Gates's firms had invested $80 million into the development of a smart city near Phoenix, Arizona. Another 470 acres will be used for public schools, leaving room for 80,000 residential units.

Awards

Gates has received numerous awards for philanthropic work. In 2016, Gates and his wife were recognized for their philanthropic work. President Barack Obama named them recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.