Bill Gates

 

Bill Gates, born William Henry Gates III on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, is an American business magnate, software developer, investor, author, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation, which became the world's largest personal-computer software company, and has since transitioned to focus on global health, education, and climate change through his philanthropic efforts. As of May 2025, his net worth was estimated at $115.1 billion, making him one of the wealthiest individuals globally.

### Early Life and Education

Gates was born to William H. Gates Sr., a prominent lawyer, and Mary Maxwell Gates, a businesswoman. He has two sisters, Kristi and Libby. Growing up in a competitive family environment, Gates excelled academically and showed early interest in computers. At age 13, he enrolled in Lakeside School, where he met Paul Allen and began programming on a Teletype terminal. They formed the Lakeside Programmers Club and later Traf-O-Data in 1972 to analyze traffic data using Intel processors.

Gates scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT and enrolled at Harvard University in 1973, studying mathematics and computer science. He dropped out in 1975 to pursue Microsoft, though he later received an honorary degree from Harvard in 2007. In his 2025 memoir "Source Code: My Beginnings," Gates reflected on childhood behaviors suggesting autism spectrum traits, such as intense focus and self-stimming, though he was never formally diagnosed.

### Founding and Career at Microsoft

In 1975, inspired by the Altair 8800 microcomputer, Gates and Allen founded Microsoft (initially Micro-Soft) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They developed BASIC interpreters, and the company's breakthrough came with MS-DOS, licensed to IBM in 1981 for the IBM PC. Microsoft went public in 1986, making Gates a billionaire at age 31. He served as CEO until 2000, when Steve Ballmer took over, and remained chairman until 2014. Gates stepped down from the board in 2020 to focus on philanthropy but retains significant shares.

Key milestones include launching Windows in 1985, which dominated the OS market, and achieving centibillionaire status in 1999. Gates authored books like "The Road Ahead" (1995) and "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" (2021). He admitted in 2019 that failing to dominate mobile OS markets (losing to Android) was his biggest mistake, partly due to antitrust issues.

### Philanthropy and the Gates Foundation

Gates and his then-wife Melinda established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which has become the world's largest private charitable organization with over $50 billion in endowment by 2022. It focuses on global health (e.g., eradicating polio, malaria vaccines), education, agriculture (like vitamin-enriched Golden Rice), sanitation innovations, and climate initiatives. Gates co-founded the Giving Pledge in 2010 with Warren Buffett, committing to donate most of his wealth.

By 2025, Gates reported donating $100 billion total, with $60 billion to the foundation. He supports nuclear energy through TerraPower, founded in 2006, and climate efforts like carbon capture. In 2022, he pledged to give away virtually all his fortune, leaving less than 1% to his children. Recent activities include advocating for affordable weight-loss drugs in lower-income countries via partnerships with PAHO and emphasizing polio eradication progress through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

### Personal Life

Gates married Melinda French in 1994; they have three children: Jennifer (born 1996, a pediatrician and equestrian), Rory (born 1999, pursuing a PhD), and Phoebe (born 2002, co-founder of fashion platform Phia). The couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years, amid reports of Gates's associations with Jeffrey Epstein influencing the decision. Post-divorce, Gates began dating Paula Hurd in 2023, confirming in 2025 it was a serious relationship.

Gates resides in a high-tech mansion in Medina, Washington, nicknamed Xanadu 2.0. He is an avid reader, enjoys bridge and tennis, and collects rare items like Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Leicester. In 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms after vaccination. Gates has expressed belief in God and attends church, valuing religion's moral systems.

### Controversies

Gates has faced antitrust scrutiny, notably in the 1998 U.S. v. Microsoft case, where he was criticized for evasive testimony and the company was ruled a monopoly. His management style was described as combative, and he was accused of attempting to dilute Paul Allen's shares during Allen's cancer battle in the 1980s.

Philanthropic efforts drew criticism for investments in companies exacerbating poverty or pollution, opposition to COVID-19 vaccine patent waivers in 2021 (seen as limiting access for poorer nations), and associations with Jeffrey Epstein from 2011–2013, which Gates called a "huge mistake." Conspiracy theories during the pandemic accused him of depopulation via vaccines, which he dismissed. Recent X posts echo these criticisms, labeling his philanthropy as profit-driven or linked to eugenics, though unsubstantiated.

### Recent Activities as of October 2025

In recent news, Gates has discussed making weight-loss drugs accessible in lower-income countries and supported AI's potential to enable a three-day workweek for better work-life balance. He warned of a "turning point" where the world risks collapse if progress on health and climate stalls, urging Congress to renew foreign aid commitments to prevent child deaths. On polio, he highlighted being "closer than ever" to eradication. In September 2025, he expressed concerns that 2025 could reverse years of global health progress. Gates also published his memoir "Source Code" in 2025 and donated $50 million to support Kamala Harris's 2024 campaign without an explicit endorsement.