The Life of Bill Gates : Founder and CEO of Microsoft

“If you are born poor, it’s not your mistake.
But if you die poor. It’s your mistake.”

Quoted by the founder and CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates, is most probably the most well-known computer businessman in history. But who is he? Born to William and Mary Gates in 1955 in Seattle, Washington, Bill Gates is best known for his successful entrepreneurship, having founded Microsoft in 1975, and has earned him more than $60 billion. He also has a net worth of $107.9 billion.

 

During his childhood, although many don't know it, Bill Gates didn't start the idea of Microsoft alone. His journey began when he attended Lakeside High School in Seattle. There, he met a student named Paul Allen, and together, they worked in the school's computer room for hours on end. By the time they were 16, Bill Gates and Paul Allen went into business. The “Traf-O-Data”, a software program made to measure traffic flow throughout the Seattle Metro area.

 

Though Bill Gates attended Harvard, he didn’t focus on his studies; rather, he and Allen decided to pursue a business opportunity only they could see. They told the president they had written a version of the computer language BASIC specifically for the microcomputer. Though this was a fabrication, the pair wanted to see if there was any interest in their "design". To the pair's surprise, the president of MITS said that he'd like to see the language. Almost instantly, Gates and Allen started working 24/7 to create the promised language. And, when they showed the language to MITS, it was a resounding success, which inspired Gates to drop out of Harvard and take a job offer to work at MITS full-time.

A while later, after this offer, Gates and Allen had entered an official business partnership named Micro-Soft. The duo got the name from the ‘micro’ of microcomputer and the ‘soft’ of software. However, by 26 November 1976, they changed the name to Microsoft. Their first product was the Altair BASIC language, but they continued to work on new products. In the years to come, MITS collapsed, but Microsoft stood its ground.

 

In July 1980, IBM approached Microsoft to write their software for the upcoming personal computer, the IBM PC, but the company was hired to write the operating system for the computer when negotiations with Digital Research fell through.

 

This was the start of the long-term success of Microsoft. Microsoft began with the invention of MS-DOS, which became widely used in PCs. The company expanded into software development, eventually creating Windows to compete with Apple's Macintosh. And in 1986, Microsoft went public, raising $61 million and instantly making Bill Gates one of the richest people in the US in a single night.

 

Bill Gates stepped down as Microsoft’s CEO in 2000, handing the role over to Steve Ballmer. Gates remained with Microsoft till 2008, then retired to take a position on the board of advisors. As of 2020, he officially left Microsoft, focusing his entire time on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has significantly contributed to India as it sees the potential of it. It has addressed numerous global challenges like healthcare & disease eradication, access to clean water, women's empowerment, agricultural development and many more. Gates recognised India’s population and economic growth, which makes it an influential player in global development.

 

He still remains as an active philanthropist, focusing on global health, education, and climate initiatives, as a visionary who transformed technology, business and philanthropy.

 

Thank you.