Bill Gates, an American entrepreneur, business mogul, investor, and philanthropist, was born William Henry III to attorney William Henry II and teacher Mary Maxwell Gates in Seattle, Washington, USA. His parents, who valued education and hard work, encouraged his curiosity and competitive nature.
Gates was a standout student at Lakeside School, where he developed a passion for computers. His first encounter with a computer was through Lakeside's deal with the city of Seattle, which led to the school receiving an Altair 8800. This sparked his interest in programming, and he soon met Paul Allen, a fellow student who shared his passion.
Together, Gates and Allen spent countless hours at the computer room, developing their programming skills. They were soon approached by Ed Roberts, the founder of MITS, to help develop the Altair BASIC programming language. This partnership led to the creation of Microsoft, which was officially founded in 1976.
Microsoft's early success was fueled by the success of Altair BASIC, and the company soon expanded to develop languages such as Basic, Cobol, Fortran, and Pascal. In 1979, IBM approached Microsoft to develop an operating system for its new line of personal computers. Gates and his team developed MS-DOS, which became the industry standard for personal computers.
The partnership with IBM was a pivotal moment in Gates' career, as it established Microsoft as a major player in the technology industry. However, the partnership eventually ended due to Paul Allen's diagnosis with Hodgkin's disease. Gates became the sole owner of Microsoft, and the company continued to grow and expand.
In the 1980s, Gates introduced Microsoft Windows, which became one of the most widely used operating systems in history. He also became a billionaire at the age of 31, owning 45% of his stock.
Gates' success was not without controversy, however. He was accused of practicing unfair marketing practices, and a case was opened against Microsoft by the Department of Justice. The company eventually agreed to stop charging royalty fees to manufacturers, and the case was dropped.
In his personal life, Gates was deeply affected by the loss of his mother to breast cancer. He went on to create philanthropic organizations that fought against certain causes, including cancer. In 1995, he married Melinda French and welcomed his first daughter.
In the late 1990s, Gates slowed down his work with Microsoft to focus on his family. However, the company faced new challenges, including the rise of the internet and the success of Netscape's web browser. Microsoft responded by releasing its own web browser, Explorer, which became a huge success.
Gates was eventually charged with practicing unlawful conduct and running an illegal monopoly in 1998. He stepped down as CEO of Microsoft and became the company's Chairman. Despite the challenges he faced, Gates continued to be a dominant force in the technology industry, and his legacy as a business magnate and philanthropist continues to inspire and influence people around the world.
