Bill Gates

Co-founder, Microsoft

Birth DetailsOctober 28, 1955 | Seattle, United States

NationalityAmerican

LeagueEntrepreneur

EducationHarvard University (Drop out)

Net Worth$106.4 billion (as of May 19, 2020)

Bill Gates' Assets:

Microsoft
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Branded Entertainment Network
TerraPower
ResearchGate
Gates Ventures

Bill Gates' Journey so far ...

Bill Gates first got to use a computer while attending Lakeside School in Seattle and was instantly hooked to it
While in school, he, along with some other students, created a software solution to computerise the school’s payroll system. A collaboration with fellow student Paul Allen resulted in a traffic- counting system -- Traf-O-Data -- which earned them $20,000
Gates enrolled into Harvard University in 1973 but dropped out in his junior year to follow his entrepreneurial calling, along with Allen
In 1975, the duo developed a software for the first microcomputer -- Altair 8800 -- and ‘Micro-Soft’ was formed with its office in Albuquerque, New Mexico
The company was officially renamed Microsoft the following year
Business grew, and now, their clients included start-ups such as ‘Apple’
They moved the company to Seattle in 1979 and it was there that Microsoft earned high praise
During that time, IBM was looking for an operating system (OS) for their personal computer -- IBM PC -- and Gates presented them the solution with MS-DOS
The PC released in 1981 and soon the market was exploding with several manufacturers doing a copy
Though built for IBM, Microsoft still had the rights to sell their software to other PC manufacturers and so they did
Most of the manufacturers adopted MS-DOS for their systems, and, in 1981, their sales more than doubled in comparison to the previous year
Windows 1.0 was launched in 1985 following the release of Apple’s Macintosh PC
Microsoft went public in 1986, making Gates one of the richest persons in the country
The following year, at the age of 31, he became the world’s youngest billionaire -- a title which he held on to until Mark Zuckerberg came into the picture
By the mid-90s, Windows had become the standard operating system for most of the PCs running on the planet and the riches continued to follow
Soon, they began rolling out other utility and enterprise software, and in 1995, Bill Gates became the richest person in the world
Gates stepped down as the CEO of Microsoft in 2000
The same year, he along with his wife, Melinda, established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
He left his daily job at Microsoft in 2008 while still retaining his position as chairman of the board
In 2010, the couple launched the Giving Pledge along with Warren Buffet to encourage the wealthiest people of the world to commit most of their wealth to philanthropic causes
In 2014, he relinquished his designation as chairman and assumed the role of technical advisor to support the newly- appointed CEO Satya Nadella
He finally resigned from the public boards of both Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway in March 2020
Till date, he has donated around $35 billion worth of his Microsoft stocks to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Currently, he holds around 1.3% shares of Microsoft and is one of the richest persons in the world

Before you go ...

Bill was fond of the games Monopoly and Risk (a game with the objective to dominate the world) as a child

Last Updated: 15/02/2021

Bill Gates News

1 billionaire every 10 days: India’s ’20 countThere are now 209 Indian-origin billionaires, of which 177 are Indian residents. The total list, which continues to be topped by Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, has 50 fresh additions and 10 dropouts.
Herd immunity is 'very difficult' to achieve in India, says AIIMS director Randeep GuleriaHerd immunity is "very difficult" to achieve and one should not think of it in "practical terms" in India, especially in the times of "variant strains" of Covid-19 and "waning immunity", claimed AIIMS director Randeep Guleria on Sunday.
Hi, Alexa, it’s Jeff Bezos. Having stepped down from my day job, how should I spend my time now?The legacies of John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie offer hints about what could be next for Amazon’s founder.
Bill Gates warns that manufacturing could challenge climate goalsThere is currently no way to make steel or cement without releasing climate-warming emissions. Yet, neither governments nor investors are looking hard to solve that problem, Gates said.
15 yrs ago, Bill Gates never thought he'd be talking about climate change. Now he has a book, and some answersGates says that to avoid a climate disaster, we have to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Jeff Bezos follows Gates, Paul Allen in becoming latest tycoon to pursue his 'passion'Amazon founder Jeff Bezos plans to build rockets and save the planet.
Many companies staying away from investments that generate carbon: Bill Gates At a panel discussion on carbon markets during the World Economic Forum's online Davos Agenda Summit, Gates further said the next big step would be getting people to put their money into things that are provably having a positive impact on the environment.
Vaccine dispute with AstraZeneca escalates as EU grapples with delaysThe EU has been slow to rollout vaccination programmes compared with some other regions, especially former EU member Britain. The issue has been exacerbated by AstraZeneca and Pfizer both announcing delivery holdups in recent weeks.
Bill Gates surprised by 'crazy & evil' pandemic conspiracies, wants to know what's behind themThe philanthropic billionaire hopes these conspiracies go away.
Conspiracy theories slow down Covid-19 vaccination drive in IndiaWhile Facebook has banned anti-vaccine groups, other platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp are fuelling vaccine rumours and fear mongering. One of the bizarre conspiracy theories doing the rounds is that billionaire Bill Gates is funding some vaccine manufacturers because he wants to reduce population growth!
Blackstone, Bill Gates join hands for Signature Aviation bid as Carlyle circlesBlackstone and Cascade, which owns a near 20% stake in London-based Signature, are in advanced talks with the company about their proposal that involves a cash offer of 3.81 pounds per share, Blackstone said.
Global leaders hail India's scientific innovation, decisive action to combat COVID-19The Drug Controller General of India on Sunday approved the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech, for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.
Bill Gates 'stunned' by pace of scientific advances, says 2021 will be better than 2020; shares details about Covid, vaccines in detailed blogpostThe Microsoft co-founder shared his thoughts on a post-Covid world.
Throwback diaries: Bill Gates holding daughter Jennifer in a fruit basket will make you smileJennifer Gates shared a picture of herself with parents Bill and Melinda, on Instagram.
Digital India and India stack have made the country stand out: Satya Nadella“Bill Gates is always talking about how can we take what has been developed in India and make it available as a stack to all countries. So I think it's an inspired set of choices that came about because of the state prioritizing that digital infrastructure as a public good can help lift all companies and all citizens in India and that's great to see,” said Nadella.
With first dibs on vaccines, rich countries have ‘cleared the shelves’While many poor nations may be able to vaccinate at most 20% of their populations in 2021, some of the world’s richest countries have reserved enough doses to immunize their own multiple times over.
End 2020 on a good note, read 5 books recommended by Bill Gates, this holiday seasonGates wrote that there were times when he wanted to dwelve deeper into social issues like Black Lives Matter protests.
Next four to six months could be worst of pandemic: Bill GatesIn recent weeks, the US is experiencing record high cases, deaths and hospitalisations. "I thought the US would do a better job handling it," said Gates, who in 2015 had warned the world of such a pandemic.
Gates Foundation pledges $250 mn more for battle against COVID-19The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Thursday pledged an additional $250 million to support the development of low-cost and easier to deliver treatments and vaccines against COVID-19.
Bill Gates calls India’s digital finance approach a global model“If people are going to study one country right now, other than China, I’d say they should look at India,” Gates said at the Singapore Fintech Festival on Tuesday.
Bill Gates lauds Indian-origin scientist couple for pioneering work in fight against HIV, coronavirusThe Microsoft founder said the couple's motto has impressed him.
Tesla market value crosses $500 billion in meteoric rallyShares of the electric-car maker have risen nearly 28% since the S&P Dow Jones Indices decided to add the company to the benchmark index from Dec. 21.
Elon Musk overtakes Bill Gates to grab world’s second-richest rankingThe 49-year-old entrepreneur’s net worth soared $7.2 billion to $127.9 billion, driven by yet another surge in Tesla’s share price.
9 mental models that can help boost your careerLike any tool, a mental model is neither correct nor effective all the time. However, having many mental models gives you multiple paths to a good result. Here are a few great models to understand and use to supercharge your career.
Adani’s wealth grows most on India rich listAdani is closely followed by Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries whose personal wealth, as reflected in his share of the Reliance group market cap, rose by $16.9 billion. Elon Musk of Tesla leads the table with his wealth surging $92 billion to $120 billion so far in 2020; while Jeff Bezos (of Amazon) and Zhong Shanshan’s (of Nongfu Spring) wealth has risen by $68 billion and $57 billion, respectively.
Load more