Business magnate, software developer, philanthropist

Bill Gates

Born 28 October 1955 · United States

Co-founded Microsoft in 1975, revolutionizing personal computing worldwide.

📖Modern 🏛️Business 📍United States 🌐Outside India

William Henry Gates III is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Following Microsoft's initial public offering in 1986 and the subsequent increase in its stock price, Gates became the world's then-youngest billionaire in 1987, at age 31. Forbes magazine ranked him as the world's wealthiest person for 18 out of 24 years between 1995 and 2017, including 13 years consecutively from 1995 to 2007.

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A detail that
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Bill Gates became the world's youngest billionaire in 1987 at age 31, just one year after Microsoft's IPO in 1986.

The Story

In 1968, a 13-year-old Bill Gates enrolled at Seattle's Lakeside School where he wrote his first software program, sparking a lifelong obsession with computing.

🌟 In 1975, at just 19, Gates dropped out of Harvard to co-found Microsoft with Paul Allen in Albuquerque, marking the start of their quest to put a computer in every home.

3By 1980, Microsoft secured a crucial deal to provide BASIC programming language for IBM's first personal computer, a pivotal moment that catapulted the company into the spotlight.

4💰 In 1987, following Microsoft’s IPO in 1986, Gates became the youngest billionaire in history at age 31, a title cemented by his fortune growing as Microsoft dominated software markets.

🏅 Awards & Honours

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Presidential Medal of Freedom

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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At Lakeside School in 1968, Gates accessed a Teletype terminal connected to a General Electric computer, one of the few schools with such technology at the time.

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Through the Years

1 photograph from the archives

Bill Gates speaking on how to prevent the next pandemic (2022)

2022

🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth

Birth in Seattle, Washington

William Henry Gates III was born to William H. Gates Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates in Seattle, setting roots in a family of lawyers and community leaders.

1955

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Education

Enrolled at Lakeside School

At age 13, Gates began programming on Lakeside's GE computer, an uncommon opportunity that sparked his future career.

1968

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Career

Co-founded Microsoft

Gates and Paul Allen launched Microsoft in Albuquerque, aiming to develop software for emerging personal computers.

1975

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Career

IBM PC software deal

Microsoft secured the contract to write BASIC for IBM’s PC, a deal that escalated its status in tech industry.

1980

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Career

Became youngest billionaire

Following Microsoft's 1986 IPO, Gates became the youngest billionaire at 31, marking the rise of a tech mogul.

1987

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Career

Founded Gates Foundation

Gates shifted focus from Microsoft CEO role to philanthropy by co-founding the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

2000

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Career

Launched The Giving Pledge

Alongside Warren Buffett, Gates started The Giving Pledge, encouraging billionaires to donate half their wealth.

2010

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Publication

Published memoir 'Source Code: My Beginnings'

Gates released the first volume of his memoirs, revealing new insights into his youth and Microsoft’s early days.

2025

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🗝️Discoveries

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01 / 04

🏆ACHIEVEMENT

In 1999, Gates authored Business @ the Speed of Thought, a bestseller exploring how digital technology can revolutionize business, highlighting his vision beyond Microsoft.

Office Timeline Blog

02 / 04

🏆ACHIEVEMENT

Gates briefly became the first centibillionaire in 1999 when his net worth surpassed $100 billion, a milestone rare even among billionaires today.

Wikipedia

03 / 04

👤PERSONAL

His mother, Mary Maxwell Gates, was the first woman on the board of First Interstate BancSystem and United Way International, influencing Gates’ philanthropic trajectory.

Wikipedia

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"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning."

— Bill Gates

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons

Bill gates : From Billionaire To Philanthropist- The Untold Story Of Success

·YouTube

🌱 What changed because of them

Bill Gates transformed the technology landscape by pioneering software for personal computers, fundamentally altering how the world works and communicates. His foundation has directly influenced global health by funding efforts to eradicate diseases like polio and malaria, while his philanthropic initiatives have pushed forward education reform and climate innovation worldwide. The Giving Pledge initiated by Gates has reshaped billionaire philanthropy globally, encouraging unprecedented wealth redistribution for social causes.

💬 Social Buzz

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💭 Memories & Tributes

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Bill Gates

A detail thatsurprised us

The Story

🏅 Awards & Honours

🔍 One thing most people don't know

Through the Years

🗓️ A Life in Moments

🗝️Discoveries

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

🌱 What changed because of them

💬 Social Buzz

💭 Memories & Tributes

A detail that
surprised us