Gates showed an early interest in computer programming. While attending Lakeside School, a private preparatory school in Seattle, he wrote his first software program. It was at Lakeside where he met Paul Allen, with whom he would later co-found Microsoft. Gates was recognized for his academic excellence and became a National Merit Scholar. He enrolled at Harvard University in 1973, where he later met Steve Ballmer—who would eventually serve as Microsoft’s CEO.

Founding of Microsoft

In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft, which grew to become the world's largest personal computer software company. Their early focus on developing a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 computer helped lay the foundation for Microsoft’s success. Over the years, Microsoft secured its position as a pioneer in the tech industry with the widespread adoption of its Windows operating system and other software products.

Philanthropy and The Giving Pledge

In 2000, Bill Gates and his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With assets exceeding $50 billion, it is the largest private philanthropic foundation in the United States. The foundation addresses global issues in public health, education, and poverty alleviation, supporting causes such as disease eradication, sanitation, clean water access, and agricultural development.

By 2013, Gates had personally donated more than $28 billion to the foundation. Through this philanthropic work, Gates has shifted public perceptions—from being solely a technology mogul to becoming one of the world's most influential philanthropists.