As a businessman, he went from a co-founder of a small startup to a co-owner of a corporation with a valuation of over $ 1 trillion
Bill Gates is one of the most famous geniuses of the 20th century, who for many years topped the list of the richest people on the planet. American programmer and entrepreneur is the "father" of Microsoft Corporation - the world's largest software company for personal computers. We will tell you how a businessman went from a co-founder of a small startup to a co-owner of a corporation with a valuation of over $ 1 trillion.
Gates wrote his first program at 13, and founded his first company at 17.
Gates distinguished himself with his talent as a programmer and organizational skills as a teenager. Thus, while studying at the prestigious Seattle Lakeside school, the American innovator wrote his first program - the game "Tic-Tac-Toe" in the BASIC programming language. At that time he was only 13 years old. In high school, Gates helped form a group of programmers who digitalized the school's payroll system. During these years, he founded Traf-O-Data, a company that created meters for reading traffic and compiled reports for local authorities.
In 1975, Gates, then a sophomore at Harvard University, developed software for the first microcomputers with his friend Paul G. Allen. They started by adapting BASIC for use on microcomputers. Following the success of this project, Gates left Harvard and co-founded Microsoft with Allen. The catchy name was coined from a combination of two words: Micro processors (microprocessors) and soft ware (software).
Gates' influence on the emerging microcomputer industry was greatly enhanced after IBM licensed Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system. At that time, IBM was the largest computer supplier and an industry leader. The company used MS-DOS on its first mainstream personal computer, the IBM PC.
Computer IBM PC.
After the machine was released in 1981, IBM quickly set the technical standard for the PC industry, and MS-DOS, in turn, succeeded in supplanting competing operating systems. By the early 1990s, Microsoft's flagship product had enabled the company to become a leading player in the personal computer market.
Thanks to the success of Microsoft, Gates amassed a huge fortune as the largest shareholder in the company. The businessman became a billionaire in 1986, and over the next 10 years was able to increase his net worth by tens of billions of dollars, which made him the richest man in the world for many years.
Rivals (especially in rival Silicon Valley companies) described Gates as an energetic but duplicitous entrepreneur, determined to profit from almost every electronic transaction in the world. On the other hand, his supporters noted Gates' incredible business acumen, his flexibility, and his boundless pursuit of new ways to make computers and other technology more useful through software.
In particular, all these qualities of Gates showed themselves against the background of the growing public interest in the Internet. In 1995, the businessman began to reorient Microsoft to develop consumer and enterprise software solutions for the Internet. So, during this period, the company developed the Windows CE operating system platform for network devices and launched the Microsoft Network Internet provider. In addition, Gates bought the huge photo archives of the collector Otto Bettmann and other collections through his company Corbis for distribution on the web.
In the video below, Bill Gates talks to famous TV presenter David Letterman about the possibilities of the Internet.
Amid the pandemic in March 2020, Microsoft became the only American company to have a valuation in excess of $ 1 trillion, reaching $ 1.034 trillion, according to an official Nasdaq listing.
Bill and Melinda Gates during their 2020 alumni meeting.
In 2008, Bill Gates announced his intentions to step down as head of Microsoft Corporation, switching to charity. In February 2014, he stepped down as chairman, but continued to remain on the board of directors until 2020. During this period, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by the decision of the President of the United States. Currently, Gates is an advisor to the chairman of the board of Microsoft.
Last year, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation decided to look for a cure for the coronavirus, providing $ 100 million to fight the global outbreak. Despite the active participation of Gates in the fight against the pandemic, his forecast for humanity is quite pessimistic - the founder of Microsoft is confident that life after COVID-19 will never be the same. In particular, according to him, people will continue to refuse business trips and personal meetings.
As the authors of the Britannica encyclopedia note , it is not yet known whether Gates' exceptional success will guarantee a firm place in the pantheon of great Americans. Historians will likely view him as a business figure as important to the computer industry as John D. Rockefeller to the oil industry. Gates himself demonstrated a clear understanding of the dangers of wealth and success in his 1995 bestseller, The Road to the Future, in which he stated: “Success is a bad teacher. He makes smart people think they can't fail. "
Bill Gates during his arrest in New Mexico.
1. According to the businessman, he reads 50 books a year. According to him, "reading is still the main way to learn new things and test their understanding." Gates showed a passion for reading at a young age. So, as a teenager, he read the entire series of the "World Book Encyclopedia".
2. Gates scored nearly perfect scores on the SAT, a standardized test for admission to higher education institutions in the United States. His result was 1590 points out of 1600.
3. Two years after he dropped out of Harvard, Gates was arrested in New Mexico for driving without a license and running a red light.
4. Gates memorized the license plates of Microsoft employees to keep track of their arrival and departure from work. He eventually gave up on it when the company dramatically increased its workforce.
5. Gates owns a collection of Porsche luxury cars, the centerpiece of which is the Porsche 959 sports car. In addition, Gates has a private jet, which he has owned since 1997. Among other valuable acquisitions of the entrepreneur - the Leicester Code - a notebook of scientific notes made by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan in 1504-1510. He purchased the piece at a 1994 auction for $ 30.8 million.
6. The offspring of Gates will inherit only $ 10 million from the businessman's multibillion-dollar fortune. The entrepreneur believes that huge sums of money will not benefit his children.
7. If Microsoft hadn't become a successful company, Gates would most likely become an artificial intelligence researcher. Despite his interest in AI, he belongs to the camp of people concerned about the danger of superintelligence. This camp also includes renowned leaders in science and technology such as Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking.
8. Surprisingly, Gates does not know a single foreign language. According to him, this is the biggest regret of his life.
Bill Gates is one of the most famous geniuses of the 20th century, who for many years topped the list of the richest people on the planet. American programmer and entrepreneur is the "father" of Microsoft Corporation - the world's largest software company for personal computers. We will tell you how a businessman went from a co-founder of a small startup to a co-owner of a corporation with a valuation of over $ 1 trillion.
Becoming the richest man in the world
Gates wrote his first program at 13, and founded his first company at 17.
Gates distinguished himself with his talent as a programmer and organizational skills as a teenager. Thus, while studying at the prestigious Seattle Lakeside school, the American innovator wrote his first program - the game "Tic-Tac-Toe" in the BASIC programming language. At that time he was only 13 years old. In high school, Gates helped form a group of programmers who digitalized the school's payroll system. During these years, he founded Traf-O-Data, a company that created meters for reading traffic and compiled reports for local authorities.
In 1975, Gates, then a sophomore at Harvard University, developed software for the first microcomputers with his friend Paul G. Allen. They started by adapting BASIC for use on microcomputers. Following the success of this project, Gates left Harvard and co-founded Microsoft with Allen. The catchy name was coined from a combination of two words: Micro processors (microprocessors) and soft ware (software).
Gates' influence on the emerging microcomputer industry was greatly enhanced after IBM licensed Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system. At that time, IBM was the largest computer supplier and an industry leader. The company used MS-DOS on its first mainstream personal computer, the IBM PC.
Computer IBM PC.
After the machine was released in 1981, IBM quickly set the technical standard for the PC industry, and MS-DOS, in turn, succeeded in supplanting competing operating systems. By the early 1990s, Microsoft's flagship product had enabled the company to become a leading player in the personal computer market.
Thanks to the success of Microsoft, Gates amassed a huge fortune as the largest shareholder in the company. The businessman became a billionaire in 1986, and over the next 10 years was able to increase his net worth by tens of billions of dollars, which made him the richest man in the world for many years.
Rivals (especially in rival Silicon Valley companies) described Gates as an energetic but duplicitous entrepreneur, determined to profit from almost every electronic transaction in the world. On the other hand, his supporters noted Gates' incredible business acumen, his flexibility, and his boundless pursuit of new ways to make computers and other technology more useful through software.
In particular, all these qualities of Gates showed themselves against the background of the growing public interest in the Internet. In 1995, the businessman began to reorient Microsoft to develop consumer and enterprise software solutions for the Internet. So, during this period, the company developed the Windows CE operating system platform for network devices and launched the Microsoft Network Internet provider. In addition, Gates bought the huge photo archives of the collector Otto Bettmann and other collections through his company Corbis for distribution on the web.
In the video below, Bill Gates talks to famous TV presenter David Letterman about the possibilities of the Internet.
Amid the pandemic in March 2020, Microsoft became the only American company to have a valuation in excess of $ 1 trillion, reaching $ 1.034 trillion, according to an official Nasdaq listing.
Businessman and philanthropist: how Bill Gates saves the world
In addition to working for Microsoft, Gates is also known for his philanthropic work. Together with his wife Melinda, he founded the William H. Gates Foundation in 1994 (renamed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 1999). The Fund's goal is to improve global health care, reduce poverty, expand educational opportunities and access information technology. Currently, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is considered the largest private foundation in the United States with $ 50 billion in assets, and one of its main donors is the famous investor Warren Buffett.
Bill and Melinda Gates during their 2020 alumni meeting.
In 2008, Bill Gates announced his intentions to step down as head of Microsoft Corporation, switching to charity. In February 2014, he stepped down as chairman, but continued to remain on the board of directors until 2020. During this period, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by the decision of the President of the United States. Currently, Gates is an advisor to the chairman of the board of Microsoft.
Last year, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation decided to look for a cure for the coronavirus, providing $ 100 million to fight the global outbreak. Despite the active participation of Gates in the fight against the pandemic, his forecast for humanity is quite pessimistic - the founder of Microsoft is confident that life after COVID-19 will never be the same. In particular, according to him, people will continue to refuse business trips and personal meetings.
As the authors of the Britannica encyclopedia note , it is not yet known whether Gates' exceptional success will guarantee a firm place in the pantheon of great Americans. Historians will likely view him as a business figure as important to the computer industry as John D. Rockefeller to the oil industry. Gates himself demonstrated a clear understanding of the dangers of wealth and success in his 1995 bestseller, The Road to the Future, in which he stated: “Success is a bad teacher. He makes smart people think they can't fail. "
TOP facts about Bill Gates
Bill Gates during his arrest in New Mexico.
1. According to the businessman, he reads 50 books a year. According to him, "reading is still the main way to learn new things and test their understanding." Gates showed a passion for reading at a young age. So, as a teenager, he read the entire series of the "World Book Encyclopedia".
2. Gates scored nearly perfect scores on the SAT, a standardized test for admission to higher education institutions in the United States. His result was 1590 points out of 1600.
3. Two years after he dropped out of Harvard, Gates was arrested in New Mexico for driving without a license and running a red light.
4. Gates memorized the license plates of Microsoft employees to keep track of their arrival and departure from work. He eventually gave up on it when the company dramatically increased its workforce.
5. Gates owns a collection of Porsche luxury cars, the centerpiece of which is the Porsche 959 sports car. In addition, Gates has a private jet, which he has owned since 1997. Among other valuable acquisitions of the entrepreneur - the Leicester Code - a notebook of scientific notes made by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan in 1504-1510. He purchased the piece at a 1994 auction for $ 30.8 million.
6. The offspring of Gates will inherit only $ 10 million from the businessman's multibillion-dollar fortune. The entrepreneur believes that huge sums of money will not benefit his children.
7. If Microsoft hadn't become a successful company, Gates would most likely become an artificial intelligence researcher. Despite his interest in AI, he belongs to the camp of people concerned about the danger of superintelligence. This camp also includes renowned leaders in science and technology such as Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking.
8. Surprisingly, Gates does not know a single foreign language. According to him, this is the biggest regret of his life.
