Bill Gates

William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and software developer best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation alongside Paul Allen. As Microsoft's chairman and CEO for 25 years, Gates led the company from a two-person startup to the world's dominant software corporation, becoming the world's youngest billionaire at age 31 in 1987. He was the world's wealthiest person for 18 of 24 years between 1995 and 2017, and became the first centibillionaire in 1999 when his net worth surpassed $100 billion.

Since stepping down as Microsoft CEO in 2000 and chairman in 2014, Gates has devoted most of his time to philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (renamed Gates Foundation in 2024 following his divorce). With assets exceeding $75 billion, it ranks among the world's largest private charitable organizations, focusing on global health, education, and poverty alleviation. Gates co-founded the Giving Pledge with Warren Buffett in 2010, committing to donate at least half his wealth to charitable causes.

As of May 2025, Gates' net worth stands at approximately $115 billion, making him the 13th-richest person globally despite having donated over $59 billion to charity. He has become one of the most prominent advocates for climate change mitigation, investing billions in clean energy through ventures including TerraPower nuclear reactors and Breakthrough Energy. He is also the largest private farmland owner in the United States, with 242,000 acres across 19 states.

Gates' later career has been marked by controversies including his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which contributed to his 2021 divorce from Melinda French Gates after 27 years of marriage, and his role as a target of COVID-19 conspiracy theories claiming he planned to implant tracking microchips through vaccines.

Early life and education

William Henry Gates III was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, to William H. Gates Sr., a prominent attorney, and Mary Maxwell Gates, who served on the boards of First Interstate BancSystem and United Way of America. He grew up in the Sand Point area of Seattle with two sisters in an upper-middle-class family that emphasized academic achievement and competitive success.

At age 13, Gates enrolled at Lakeside School, an elite preparatory institution where his parents hoped the rigorous environment would channel his considerable intellect. Lakeside's decision to purchase computer terminal time on a General Electric (GE) computer system proved fateful. Gates became obsessed with programming in BASIC, spending countless hours writing programs and playing with the system. At Lakeside, he met Paul Allen, a fellow computer enthusiast two years his senior who would become his business partner.

Gates and Allen's early entrepreneurial ventures included Traf-O-Data, a company that analyzed traffic data using early microprocessors. Though commercially unsuccessful, the project provided invaluable programming and business experience.

Gates demonstrated exceptional academic ability, scoring 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT examination. In 1973, he enrolled at Harvard University, where he took advanced mathematics courses including the notoriously difficult Math 55. However, Gates spent more time in the computer lab than attending classes, and his academic performance suffered from divided attention between formal coursework and independent programming projects.

At Harvard, Gates maintained his friendship with Allen, who had dropped out of Washington State University and was working as a programmer at Honeywell in Boston. Their partnership would soon create one of history's most consequential business ventures.

Microsoft founding and rise

The Altair BASIC opportunity (1974-1975)

In December 1974, Allen was walking through Harvard Square when he spotted the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics featuring the Altair 8800, the first commercially successful personal computer kit. Allen immediately showed the magazine to Gates, and both recognized a critical opportunity: the Altair lacked software, particularly a BASIC programming language interpreter that would make it useful for general users.

Without owning an Altair or having written any code, Gates contacted MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), the Altair's manufacturer, claiming he and Allen were developing a BASIC interpreter for the platform. MITS president Ed Roberts, intrigued but skeptical, agreed to a demonstration.

Gates, Allen, and Harvard student Monte Davidoff worked frantically for eight weeks. They developed an Altair emulator that ran on Harvard's PDP-10 minicomputer, then created a BASIC interpreter without ever touching an actual Altair. When Allen flew to MITS headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the demonstration, he loaded their program into an Altair for the first time. It worked.

The successful demonstration led to a licensing deal to distribute Altair BASIC. Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard in his junior year to work with Allen in Albuquerque, intending to return if the venture failed. He never completed his degree, though Harvard awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2007.

On April 4, 1975, Gates and Allen formally founded their partnership, initially called "Micro-Soft" (combining "microcomputer" and "software"), later trademarked as "Microsoft." They officially registered the company with New Mexico's Secretary of State on November 26, 1976.

Building the empire (1975-1995)

Microsoft's early years focused on developing programming languages for various microcomputers. In 1979, the company relocated from Albuquerque to Bellevue, Washington, closer to Gates' and Allen's hometown.

The pivotal moment came in July 1980 when IBM approached Microsoft about providing software for its forthcoming personal computer. The introduction reportedly came through Gates' mother, Mary Gates, who served on the United Way board alongside IBM's then-chairman John Opel.

For the operating system, Microsoft initially directed IBM to Digital Research and its CP/M system. When negotiations with Digital Research faltered, Microsoft purchased QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) from Seattle Computer Products for $50,000, modified it, and licensed it to IBM as PC DOS.

Crucially, Gates negotiated terms allowing Microsoft to license the operating system—branded MS-DOS—to other manufacturers. As IBM-compatible "clone" computers proliferated throughout the 1980s, Microsoft collected licensing fees from each, establishing dominance in personal computer operating systems.

Gates officially incorporated Microsoft on June 25, 1981, serving as president and chairman of the board while Paul Allen held the title of executive vice president. When Microsoft went public on March 13, 1986, at $21 per share, Gates became a paper millionaire; within a year, at age 31, he became the world's youngest self-made billionaire.

The 1990s brought Microsoft's dominance to new heights with Windows 3.0 (1990), Windows 95 (1995), and the Microsoft Office suite. Gates' wealth expanded exponentially alongside Microsoft's market capitalization. By 1995, he became the world's wealthiest person, a title he would hold for 13 consecutive years.

Leadership at Microsoft

CEO tenure (1975-2000)

Gates served as Microsoft's CEO from its founding until January 2000, when Steve Ballmer succeeded him. During this 25-year tenure, Gates transformed a two-person partnership into a global software giant employing over 39,000 people with annual revenues exceeding $25 billion.

Gates was known for his intense, detail-oriented management style. He personally reviewed major code projects in the early years and maintained technical involvement even as the company grew. His "Seven Personas" leadership philosophy emphasized understanding customers' diverse needs and perspectives.

However, Gates' competitive tactics drew criticism and legal scrutiny. His approach to competition was famously aggressive, embodied in his reported statement to executives: "Our competitors should be afraid... we're going to go after them."

The antitrust era (1998-2001)

Microsoft's dominance attracted government attention throughout the 1990s. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began investigating Microsoft for anti-competitive practices in 1990, but failed to reach a decision. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) took over in 1993.

The most significant legal battle began on May 18, 1998, when the DOJ, joined by 20 states and the District of Columbia, filed suit against Microsoft under the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. The central allegation: Microsoft had illegally maintained its operating system monopoly through anti-competitive means, particularly by bundling Internet Explorer web browser with Windows to crush competitor Netscape.

Gates did not testify at trial, but videotaped deposition excerpts played during proceedings damaged Microsoft's case. Gates appeared evasive and combative, insisting he was unaware of key matters despite clear documentary evidence. His credibility suffered significantly.

On November 5, 1999, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson issued findings of fact determining that Microsoft's dominance constituted a monopoly and that the company had taken actions to crush threats to that monopoly. On April 3, 2000, Jackson issued conclusions of law holding that Microsoft had violated Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act through monopolization, attempted monopolization, and illegal tying.

On June 7, 2000, Jackson ordered Microsoft broken into two companies—one for operating systems, one for applications. However, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the breakup order, though it upheld the monopoly finding. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks and a change in presidential administration, the DOJ under President George W. Bush sought settlement rather than continued litigation.

On November 1, 2001, Microsoft and the DOJ reached a settlement imposing conduct restrictions and oversight. Several states rejected the settlement as inadequate, continuing litigation for several more years. The protracted antitrust battle damaged Microsoft's reputation and arguably opened opportunities for competitors like Google to emerge unchallenged.

Chairman and advisor (2000-2020)

After Ballmer became CEO in January 2000, Gates transitioned to chairman and chief software architect, focusing on product strategy and technical direction. He gradually reduced his Microsoft responsibilities to devote more time to philanthropy.

In 2008, Gates stepped back from day-to-day operations entirely, though he remained chairman until February 2014, when he stepped down to become technology advisor to new CEO Satya Nadella. In March 2020, Gates resigned from Microsoft's board of directors entirely to focus on philanthropy, ending his 45-year formal relationship with the company.

Personal life

Marriage and divorce

Gates met Melinda French in 1987 at a Microsoft company event shortly after she joined as a product manager. They sat next to each other at a business dinner in New York City. After initially hesitating about the relationship, Gates began dating French, though his analytical nature led him to famously create a whiteboard listing pros and cons of marriage—a story Melinda later shared publicly.

After six years of dating, Gates and French became engaged in 1993. They married on January 1, 1994, in a private ceremony on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, which Gates had rented entirely to ensure privacy. The couple had three children: Jennifer Katharine (born 1996), Rory John (born 1999), and Phoebe Adele (born 2002).

For 27 years, Bill and Melinda Gates presented a united front, co-chairing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and appearing together at global philanthropic and policy events. However, tensions emerged years before their eventual separation.

In May 2019, The New York Times reported that Gates had met multiple times with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein beginning in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The meetings reportedly discussed philanthropy, though Epstein never delivered on promises to connect Gates with major donors.

Melinda Gates met Epstein once in 2013 at his Manhattan townhouse and was deeply disturbed, later telling friends she found him "abhorrent" and "evil personified." She expressed discomfort to Bill about the relationship, but Gates continued occasional contact with Epstein until 2014.

In October 2019, The Wall Street Journal revealed the Epstein meetings publicly, causing significant strain. The same reporting period saw revelations that Gates had pursued romantic relationships with Microsoft employees during his marriage, including at least one confirmed affair.

On May 3, 2021, Gates and French jointly announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage via identical Twitter statements: "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage." The divorce was finalized on August 2, 2021.

In subsequent interviews, Melinda revealed the marriage was "irretrievably broken" by 2019, though she had consulted divorce lawyers as early as 2019. She cited multiple factors, including Gates' relationship with Epstein and his infidelities. In a 2022 interview with CBS This Morning, she stated: "I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked through some of that... There just came a point in time where there was enough there that I realized it just wasn't healthy. And I couldn't trust what we had."

Gates later acknowledged the Epstein relationship as a "huge mistake," telling CNN's Anderson Cooper: "It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there... When it looked like that wasn't a real thing, that relationship ended." He has expressed that his divorce is his greatest life regret.

Following the divorce, Melinda French Gates gradually separated from joint philanthropic work. She resigned as co-chair of the Gates Foundation in 2024, though she remains a donor and collaborator on specific initiatives.

Current life

Gates maintains residences in multiple locations, primarily his high-tech mansion "Xanadu 2.0" overlooking Lake Washington in Medina, Washington. The 66,000-square-foot estate, which took seven years and $63 million to build, features advanced technology throughout, including personalized climate control, entertainment systems, and an art display system that can present digital versions of artworks from museums worldwide.

Through his investment firm Cascade Investment LLC, Gates has become the largest private farmland owner in America with approximately 242,000 acres across 19 states, valued at over $690 million. This fact has fueled conspiracy theories and criticism, though Gates and his representatives state the land is managed for sustainable farming and climate research.

Gates has four grandchildren as of 2025 through his oldest daughter Jennifer, who married Egyptian equestrian Nayel Nassar in October 2021.

Philanthropy and the Gates Foundation

Foundation establishment and focus

Gates and Melinda established the William H. Gates Foundation in 1994, initially focusing on global health. In 2000, they merged it with the Gates Learning Foundation to create the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, quickly becoming the world's largest private charitable organization.

The foundation's assets exceed $75 billion following Gates' donations of Microsoft stock and other investments. Its primary focus areas include:

Global Health: Combating infectious diseases including malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and polio. The foundation has provided $4 billion toward polio eradication and over $2 billion for malaria research and prevention.

Education: Supporting public education reform in the United States, including funding for charter schools, teacher development, and curriculum standards. Some education initiatives have been controversial, with critics arguing they imposed top-down reforms without adequate teacher and community input.

Agricultural Development: Funding research into crop varieties that improve yields for subsistence farmers in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Financial Services for the Poor: Supporting mobile banking and financial inclusion initiatives in developing nations.

In 2010, Gates and Warren Buffett founded the Giving Pledge, whereby billionaires commit to donate at least 50% of their wealth to charity. As of 2025, over 240 individuals and couples from 30 countries have signed the pledge.

Following his divorce, Melinda French Gates resigned as co-chair in 2024. The foundation was renamed the Gates Foundation with Bill Gates serving as sole chair.

COVID-19 response

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gates Foundation emerged as a major funder of vaccine research, diagnostics, and therapeutics, contributing over $2 billion. Gates personally became one of the most visible public figures discussing pandemic response, despite lacking medical training.

In March 2020, the foundation established the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator with Wellcome Trust and Mastercard, pledging $125 million initially. Gates appeared frequently on news programs and wrote op-eds advocating for global vaccine distribution, arguing that wealthy nations had moral and practical reasons to ensure universal access.

However, Gates opposed the TRIPS waiver proposal in April 2021, which would have suspended intellectual property protections on COVID-19 vaccines to enable generic manufacturing in developing countries. Gates argued that manufacturing capacity and quality control—not patents—were the binding constraints, and that suspending IP protections could undermine future vaccine development incentives. Critics accused him of protecting pharmaceutical company profits over global public health.

Climate change and energy

Gates has identified climate change as one of the two greatest challenges facing humanity (alongside global health), stating: "If you gave me the choice between picking the next 10 presidents or ensuring that energy is environmentally friendly and a quarter as costly, I'd pick the energy thing."

In 2015, Gates spearheaded Mission Innovation, in which 20 governments pledged to double clean energy research spending over five years. He simultaneously launched Breakthrough Energy, committing $1 billion of personal funds and rallying additional $1 billion commitments from fellow billionaires including Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma, and Richard Branson.

Gates founded TerraPower in 2006 to develop advanced nuclear reactor designs, particularly traveling-wave reactors that could theoretically operate for decades without refueling and use depleted uranium as fuel. TerraPower has partnered with utilities and governments, though regulatory and economic challenges have slowed deployment.

His 2021 book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster outlined a comprehensive approach to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, emphasizing technological innovation across sectors including electricity generation, agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation. He advocates for "green premiums"—calculating the cost difference between carbon-emitting and zero-emission alternatives—as a framework for prioritizing research and policy.

Gates has called for massively increased government funding for clean energy research, drawing parallels to the Manhattan Project and Apollo Program. He has advocated for advanced nuclear power, carbon capture, and synthetic fuels, while expressing skepticism about certain renewable energy approaches due to intermittency and storage challenges.

His climate advocacy has drawn criticism from multiple angles. Environmental activists argue his focus on technological solutions downplays the need for lifestyle changes and consumption reduction. His large carbon footprint from private jet travel and multiple large homes has led to accusations of hypocrisy, though Gates has stated he purchases carbon offsets and invests in sustainable aviation fuel development.

Business investments beyond Microsoft

Beyond philanthropy, Gates maintains significant business interests through Cascade Investment LLC, his private investment and holding company.

Major holdings include:

Canadian National Railway: Gates is the largest individual shareholder of North America's largest railway company.

AutoNation and Carvana: Significant stakes in automotive retail.

Republic Services: Waste management company holdings.

John Deere: Agricultural equipment manufacturer holdings.

Farmland: As mentioned, 242,000 acres across 19 states, making him America's largest private farmland owner. The holdings have fueled conspiracy theories about food supply control, though Gates' representatives state the land is managed for sustainable farming research and carbon sequestration.

Gates has divested from most fossil fuel holdings since 2019 following pressure from climate activists, though he faces continued criticism for maintaining a stake in Signature Aviation, a private jet services company.

Controversies and criticism

Antitrust and business practices

The 1998-2001 antitrust case remains the most significant business controversy of Gates' career. Beyond legal findings of monopolistic behavior, Gates' management style and Microsoft's competitive tactics drew sustained criticism throughout the 1990s.

Critics accused Microsoft of "embrace, extend, extinguish"—adopting open standards, adding proprietary extensions, then using market power to marginalize competitors. The company faced allegations of vaporware (announcing products years before availability to discourage customers from buying competitors' products) and predatory bundling.

Jeffrey Epstein relationship

Gates' relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, beginning in 2011—three years after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor—has severely damaged his reputation.

The New York Times reported in October 2019 that Gates met with Epstein multiple times at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, flew on Epstein's private jet, and continued the relationship despite Melinda Gates' explicit discomfort. Gates reportedly sought Epstein's connections to wealthy individuals for potential Gates Foundation donations, though no such donations materialized.

In May 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Gates' ties to Epstein were a significant factor in his departure from Microsoft's board in March 2020. The board had initiated an investigation into Gates' alleged inappropriate relationship with a female Microsoft employee in 2019, though Gates' representatives stated his departure was unrelated to the investigation.

Gates has called the Epstein relationship his second-greatest regret (after his divorce) and a "huge mistake." However, he has not provided detailed explanations of the nature or frequency of their interactions, leading to continued speculation and criticism.

COVID-19 conspiracy theories

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gates became a primary target of conspiracy theories, particularly claims that he planned to use vaccines to implant microchips for tracking or mind control purposes, sometimes allegedly activated by 5G networks.

These theories stemmed partly from Gates' 2015 TED Talk warning of pandemic risk, his foundation's vaccine funding, and misinterpretation of a Gates Foundation-funded project using quantum dot technology to track vaccination records. The quantum dots produce light to verify vaccination status—not transmit data—but conspiracy theorists characterized them as "microchips."

A July 2020 YouGov poll found that 5% of Americans believed it was "definitely true" that Gates planned to use vaccines to microchip the population, with another 15% saying it was "probably true"—suggesting 20% of Americans, or approximately 66 million people, believed the conspiracy to some degree.

Gates has repeatedly denied the theories, stating: "There's no chips or anything like that. It's almost hard to deny this stuff because it's so stupid or strange that to even repeat it almost seems to give it credibility." He has reported that strangers occasionally yell accusations at him in public about tracking or controlling people.

The conspiracy theories have had real-world consequences, including death threats against Gates and his family, attacks on 5G cell towers in multiple countries, and vaccine hesitancy contributing to continued COVID-19 transmission.

Farmland ownership

Gates' position as America's largest private farmland owner has generated controversy and conspiracy theories about controlling food supplies or implementing a "Great Reset." His representatives state the land is managed through professional agricultural management companies for sustainable farming practices, crop research, and carbon sequestration, not personal food production or control.

Workplace conduct

Following his divorce announcement, reports emerged of Gates pursuing romantic relationships with Microsoft employees during his tenure, creating potential conflicts of interest and abuse of power dynamics. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Microsoft board investigated at least one relationship before Gates' 2020 departure, though Gates' spokesperson denied the departure was related to the investigation.

These revelations have complicated Gates' public image as a philanthropist and thought leader, raising questions about personal conduct and accountability.

Recognition and honors

Gates has received numerous honors recognizing his technological innovation, business leadership, and philanthropy:

2005: Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II

2015: Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor

2016: Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded jointly with Melinda Gates by President Barack Obama

2020: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, Japan's highest honor for foreign nationals

1999: Time magazine named Gates one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century

2005, 2006, 2008, 2009: Time Person of the Year (individually or jointly)

Honorary Doctorates: Harvard University (2007), Karolinska Institute (2008), Cambridge University (2009), and numerous others

Beyond formal honors, Gates has profoundly influenced global discourse on technology, business, philanthropy, and now climate change. His evolution from ruthless tech CEO to world's leading private philanthropist represents one of the most successful image transformations in modern business history, though recent controversies have tarnished that reputation.

Legacy and impact

Bill Gates' legacy is complex and multifaceted, encompassing technological innovation, business dominance, unprecedented philanthropy, and significant controversies.

Technology and business: Gates and Microsoft made personal computing accessible to hundreds of millions, establishing software standards that enabled the digital revolution. Microsoft's dominance was both blessing and curse—accelerating standardization while arguably stifling innovation through anti-competitive practices.

Wealth creation and inequality: Gates' journey from Harvard dropout to world's richest person epitomized the American Dream and the wealth-creation potential of technology entrepreneurship. However, his wealth—even after donating $59 billion—represents extreme inequality that has fueled debates about wealth concentration, tax policy, and billionaire philanthropy versus systemic reforms.

Philanthropy model: The Gates Foundation pioneered data-driven, metrics-focused philanthropy, bringing business principles to global health and development. This approach has achieved measurable successes in vaccine distribution, malaria prevention, and disease eradication. Critics argue it represents undemocratic power concentration, allowing billionaires to shape global policy without electoral accountability.

Climate advocacy: Gates' climate investments and advocacy may ultimately prove his most lasting legacy, potentially more consequential than Microsoft or philanthropy if breakthrough energy technologies achieve scale.

Personal conduct: The Epstein relationship, infidelities, and workplace conduct allegations have significantly damaged Gates' moral authority, complicating his public health and climate advocacy by enabling critics to dismiss his substantive arguments through ad hominem attacks.

Gates remains one of the most influential private citizens globally, with unique capacity to shape technology development, global health policy, and climate responses through strategic philanthropy and investment. Whether history judges him primarily as visionary technologist, ruthless monopolist, transformative philanthropist, or flawed individual unable to match personal conduct to public ideals will depend on which aspects of his multifaceted career future generations emphasize.

References

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