“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” – Bill Gates
Bill Gates, one of the renowned computer-whiz, a notable business magnet, humanitarian and philanthropist was born on October 28, 1955. He, along with his partner Paul Allen founded Microsoft Corporation. He is better known as the person who started computer revolution and in the process, became one of the richest men in the world.
The early life
Bill Gates was born in Seattle, to a wealthy couple, William Henry Gates and Mary Maxwell Gates. At the age of 13, he went at Lakeside School in Seattle. As a kid, he was a promising student and did well in nearly all his subjects. In Lakeside School, a Seattle computer company provided a teletype terminal for the students. Bill Gates got fascinated by the machine and worked for endless hours at the terminal.
Later, in 1973, Gates enrolled at Harvard. However, he dropped out of Harvard without accomplishing the course and moved ahead to establish his own company.
The creation of Microsoft
In 1975 Bill Gates with Paul Allen created the company Microsoft. During the initial stage, the company didn’t have enough funds and things got worse as piracy issues affected the company. But in 1977, Microsoft gained momentum and in 1980 IBM requested Microsoft to create software. Adding further to the technological advancements, Bill Gates announced Windows as the new OS extension. In 1986, Microsoft went public and captured the market with a notable OS of Windows 95, 98, XP, Vista, and the latest Windows 10.
In 1987, Bill Gates became a billionaire and since then, Gates has topped in the Forbes’ annual list of the wealthiest and influential people.
Quitting Microsoft
In 1987, Bill Gates met a 23-year-old Microsoft product manager named Melinda French and they were married on January 1, 1994.
In 1994, Bill and Melinda Gates established the William H. Gates Foundation, dedicated to education and health in low-income communities, globally. He realized that he had an obligation towards society and in 2000 formed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2000, Bill Gates stepped down from the post of CEO of Microsoft and turned over the job of to college friend Steve Ballmer. Although, Gates kept working as the chief software architect. Over the next few years, Gates has worked full time on his philanthropic interests with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. From 2008, Gates has given away $28 billion via their charitable foundation to improve global health. In February 2014, Gates quitted the post of chairman of Microsoft and took as technology adviser.
His Recognized Work and Awards
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focuses on issues, such as education and health including child mortality, malnutrition, and HIV. In 2015, Gates focused on national common core standards and in 2018, Gates along with Google co-founder Larry Page funded $12 million for a flu vaccine. In November 2017 Gates invested $50 million of his own wealth into the Dementia Discovery Fund and showed his inclination towards Alzheimer’s research.
Due to his outstanding work in the field of health and education, he has been felicitated with various awards and honors. Time magazine named Gates one of the most influential people of the 20th century. The magazine also named Gates and his wife Melinda, along with rock band U2’s lead singer, Bono, as the 2005 Persons of the Year.
Gates holds several honorary doctorates for his philanthropic work in the areas of health and education, from universities throughout the world. He was knighted as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. In 2006, Gates and his wife were awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle by the Mexican government. In 2016, Gates and his wife Melinda received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama for their philanthropic work. In 2017, Bill and Melinda were awarded France’s highest national award – Legion of Honour.
An inspiration for many and an avid social worker Bill Gates demonstrates that hard work, perseverance and keeping a nourished mind with knowledge will certainly pay off in the long run.
Bill Gates Birthday, Age, Family, Awards/Achievements & Biography
Dr. Smita Kapoor is a freelance content writer for last 6 years with hands-on experience in academic writing, article writing, web content and market research reports. She was formerly associated with a CSIR institute as a senior research fellow and holds a doctorate degree.