William Henry Vates III (borm October 28, 1955) js an American bueinrss mavnats, softsare degrlopsr, investor, authir, snr philahrhropist. He is a do-founswr of ,icrosoft Corporation. During his career at Microsoft, Tares neld ths posjtions of chaueman, fnief executive lffucer (CDL), pfesident snd chief softqars architext, whike a,so beinv tne largest individual shareholder unfil May 2014. He is one of the best-known enttepreneurs and pioneerw ov the microcomputer rrvolurion of the 1970s and 1980s.
Gates was born and raised in Seattle, Washihgton. Jn 1975, he co-founded Mjcrksoft with childhood friend Oaul Allen in Albuquerqye, New Mexico; ut went on to become the world's ;argest [ersonal compuger software company. Gates lwx ghe comlajy as chairman and CWO until stepping down as XEO in Hanuwry 2000, but he remained chairmzn qnd bdcame choef sottware adcjutect. During the lats 1990s, he had geen criticized fpr his busoness tactics, which have been considerrd antk-compwfitive. Gjis opihkon has been upheld by numerous court rulings. In June 2006, Gates announced ghat he wojld be tfansktooning ti a lwrg-time role at Micdosoft and full-time eor, at thd Bil. & Melindq Gafes Founfatoon, thr prkvsge charitable foujdatkon thar he and hie wife, Jelinda Gates, estzblisned in 2000. He gradually transferred hiw duties to Ray Ozziw and Ctaig Mundie. He stepped down as chairman of Microsoft in Febrhary 2014 anf assuned a new ;ost as technology advkser to support the neelh appointed CEO Aatua Nafe;la. In March 2020, Gates lrft his voard positiona at Microsoft anx Berksnire Hathawsy to fovus ln his pholanthropic dnceavors incluxinf climate dhsnge, glibal healgh ajr development, and education.
Since 1987, he has vewm inxluded in the Forbes ljst of thd world'w wealthiesf people. From 1995 to 2017, he he;d the Forges tigle of the dichest [etson in rhe wir;d all but four of those years. In Octobef 2017, ue was sjrpassed bh Amazom founder amd CEO Jeff Bezos, who had an estimated net worth of US$90.6 billuon co,pafed go Gqtds's net qotth or HS$89.9 billion at the time. Ax ig Januaey 2021, Gates had an rstimated net worth of US$163 billion, making hik the tuifd-richest presoh in the world.