Difference between revisions of "User:Alc73"

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[[Image:971276 10101773849338534 1302640385 n.jpg|right|300 px|thumb|Me, Alex Chen, as I jumped off a rock into freezing cold water]]
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== Welcome! ==
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Welcome to the Pratt FAQ, hosted at pundit.pratt.duke.edu.   If you are new here, you may want to start out by reading the [[PrattWiki:Introduction|Pratt Wiki Introduction]].  If you are coming to Duke in Fall of 2013, you may also want to read [[Recommended Hardware]].
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{{Infobox person
 
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|name        = Alex Chen
 
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|image        = 971276 10101773849338534 1302640385 n.jpg
 
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|image_size  =
 
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|alt          = Bill Gates speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 26, 2012
 
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|caption      = Gates in 2012
 
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|birth_name  = William Henry Gates III
 
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|birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1955|10|28|mf=yes}}
 
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|birth_place  = [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|WA]], US
 
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|residence    = [[Medina, Washington|Medina]], WA, US
 
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|nationality  = American
 
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|alma_mater  = [[Harvard University]]<br>([[List of college dropout billionaires|dropped out]])
 
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|occupation  = Co-founder and Chairman of [[Microsoft]]<br>Co-Chair of the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]]<br />CEO of [[Cascade Investment]]<br>Chairman of [[Corbis]]
 
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|years_active = 1975–present
 
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|net_worth    = {{Increase}} US$ 72.7 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]] (2013)<ref name="Bloom" />
 
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|boards      = <br>[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
 
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|religion    =
 
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|spouse      = [[Melinda Gates]] <small>(1994–present)</small>
 
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|children    = 3
 
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|parents      = [[William H. Gates, Sr.]]<br>[[Mary Maxwell Gates]]
 
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|signature    = BillGates Signature.svg
 
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|signature_alt= William H. Gates III
 
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|website      = {{URL|http://www.thegatesnotes.com|TheGatesNotes.com}}
 
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}}
 
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'''William Henry "Bill" Gates III''' (born October 28, 1955){{Sfn |Manes|1994| p =11}} is an American [[business magnate]], investor, programmer,<ref>{{cite web|title=Bill Gates (American computer programmer, businessman, and philanthropist)|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/226865/Bill-Gates|accessdate=March 20, 2013}}</ref> [[inventor]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Honoring the Inventor: Bill Gates' Patents|url=http://honoringtheinventor.blogspot.com.au/2008/12/bill-gates-patents.html|accessdate=March 20, 2013}}</ref> and philanthropist. Gates is the former chief executive and current chairman of [[Microsoft]], the world’s largest personal-computer [[software]] company, which he co-founded with [[Paul Allen]].
 
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He is consistently ranked in the [[Forbes list of billionaires|Forbes list of the world's wealthiest people]]<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1748882920080917 |title= Bill Gates tops US wealth list 15 years in a row |first= Phil | last= Wahba | date = September 17, 2008 |accessdate= November 6, 2008 |agency= Reuters  |archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1748882920080917 |archivedate = September 16, 2012}}</ref> and was the wealthiest overall from 1995 to 2009—excluding 2008, when he was ranked third;<ref name = "Forbes profile">{{Citation | type = profile |  url = http://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/ | title = William ‘Bill’ Gates | journal = Forbes | accessdate = March 2013}}.</ref> in 2011 he was the wealthiest American and the world's second wealthiest person.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/forbes-list-of-the-richest-americans-of-2011/2011/09/22/gIQAL3emnK_gallery.html#photo=1 | title = The Washington Post | archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/forbes-list-of-the-richest-americans-of-2011/2011/09/22/gIQAL3emnK_gallery.html%23photo=1 |archivedate= September 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.forbes.com/wealth/billionaires |title=Forbes Billionaires list |archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120525/http://www.forbes.com/wealth/billionaires | archivedate= May 25, 2012}}</ref> According to the Bloomberg Billionaires List, Gates is the world's richest person in 2013, a position that he last held on the list in 2007.<ref name="Bloom">{{cite web|title=Bill Gates Retakes World's Richest Title From Carlos Slim |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-16/bill-gates-retakes-world-s-richest-title-from-carlos-slim.html |publisher=Bloomberg L.P |accessdate=May 30, 2013 |last1=Cuadros |first1=Alex |last2=Harrison |first2=Crayton |date=May 17, 2013}}</ref>
 
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During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of CEO and [[software architect|chief software architect]], and remains the largest individual shareholder, with 6.4 percent of the [[common stock]].{{Refn | group = "lower-alpha" | Gates regularly documents his share ownership through public U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission [[form 4]] filings.<ref>{{Citation | title = MSFT | url = http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?symbol=MSFT&selected=MSFT&FormType=form4 | publisher = NASDAQ | type = Holdings}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation | title = MSFT | publisher = NASDAQ | type = Symbol | url = http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/msft}}.</ref>}}  He has also authored and co-authored several books.
 
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Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the [[personal computer revolution]].  Gates has been [[Criticism of Microsoft|criticized for his business tactics]], which have been considered anti-competitive, an opinion which has in some cases been upheld by the courts.{{Sfn |Manes|1994|p=459}}{{Sfn |Lesinski|2006|p = 96}}  In the later stages of his career, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]], established in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/ | title = Gates foundation | archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120523/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/ | archivedate = May 23, 2012}}</ref>
 
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Gates stepped down as chief executive officer of Microsoft in January 2000. He remained as chairman and created the position of chief software architect for himself. In June 2006, Gates announced that he would be transitioning from full-time work at Microsoft to part-time work, and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He gradually transferred his duties to [[Ray Ozzie]], chief software architect, and [[Craig Mundie]], chief research and strategy officer. Gates's last full-time day at Microsoft was June 27, 2008. He remains at Microsoft as non-executive chairman.
 
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==Early life==
 
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Gates was born in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], to [[William H. Gates, Sr.]] and [[Mary Maxwell Gates]].  His ancestry includes English, [[Germans|German]], and [[Scotch-Irish American|Scots-Irish]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.wargs.com/other/gates.html |title=Ancestry of Bill Gates |publisher=Wargs |accessdate=June 9, 2010 |archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.wargs.com/other/gates.html | archivedate= September 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Scottish Americans | publisher= Alba West | url = http://www.albawest.com/scottish-americans.html | accessdate =April 29, 2009 |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120718/http://www.albawest.com/scottish-americans.html | archivedate = July 18, 2012}}</ref> His father was a prominent lawyer, and his mother served on the board of directors for [[First Interstate BancSystem]] and the [[United Way of America|United Way]].  Gates's maternal grandfather was JW Maxwell, a [[National bank#United States|national bank]] president. Gates has one elder sister, Kristi (Kristianne), and one younger sister, Libby. He was the fourth of his name in his family, but was known as William Gates III or "Trey" because his father had the "II" suffix.{{Sfn |Manes | 1994 |p= 15}}  Early on in his life, Gates's parents had a law career in mind for him.{{Sfn |Manes|1994|p = 47}}  When Gates was young, his family regularly attended a [[Congregational Christian Churches|Congregational]] church.<ref name="Congregational 1">{{cite book|title=Bill Gates: Entrepreneur and Philanthropist | url = http://books.google.com/?id=ubYgIB0TgUYC&pg=PA12&dq=Bill+Gates+Congregationalist#v=onepage&q&f=false |quote = The Gates family regularly went to services at the University Congregational Church.| first =Jeanne M | last = Lesinski |publisher=Twenty First Century Books | accessdate =March 10, 2011|isbn= 978-1-58013-570-2|date = September 1, 2008}}</ref><ref name= "Congregational 2">{{cite book|title=Bill Gates Speaks: Insight from the World's Greatest Entrepreneur|url = http://books.google.com/?id=LUwu-DTwa5cC&pg=PA3&dq=Congregationalist++bill+gates#v=onepage&q&f=false |quote = The Gates family attended the University Congregational Church, where the Reverend Dale Turner was pastor. | first = Janet | last = Lowe| publisher = Wiley | accessdate=March 10, 2011|isbn= 978-0-471-40169-8|date = January 5, 2001}}</ref><ref name = "Congregational 3">{{cite book| title = Something Happened: A Political and Cultural Overview of the Seventies | url =http://books.google.com/?id=tsl3EVBtdxcC&pg=PA228&dq=Congregationalist++bill+gates#v=onepage&q&f=false|quote=Bill Gates was a member of the baby boom, born in 1955 into an upper-middle-class family near Seattle."  He attended the Congregational Church, participated in the Boy Scouts, and went to a fancy private school. | author-link = Edward D. Berkowitz | first = Edward D | last = Berkowitz |publisher= [[Columbia University Press]]| accessdate = March 10, 2011| isbn = 978-0-231-12494-2 | year = 2006}}</ref>
 
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At 13 he enrolled in the [[Lakeside School]], an exclusive preparatory school.{{Sfn | Manes| 1994| p = 24}}  When he was in the eighth grade, the Mothers Club at the school used proceeds from Lakeside School's [[rummage sale]] to buy a [[Teletype Model 33]] ASR terminal and a block of computer time on a [[General Electric]] (GE) computer for the school's students.{{Sfn |Manes|1994|p= 27}}  Gates took an interest in programming the GE system in [[BASIC programming language|BASIC]], and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest. He wrote his first computer program on this machine: an implementation of [[tic-tac-toe]] that allowed users to play games against the computer. Gates was fascinated by the machine and how it would always execute software code perfectly. When he reflected back on that moment, he said, "There was just something neat about the machine."{{Sfn | Gates | 1996 | p = 12}}  After the Mothers Club donation was exhausted, he and other students sought time on systems including [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[Programmed Data Processor|PDP]] minicomputers. One of these systems was a [[PDP-10]] belonging to Computer Center Corporation (CCC), which banned four Lakeside students—Gates, [[Paul Allen]], [[Ric Weiland]], and Kent Evans—for the summer after it caught them exploiting bugs in the [[operating system]] to obtain free computer time.{{Sfn | Manes | 1994|p = 34}}<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2044825/paul-allen-spills-beans-gates-criminal-past | title = V3 | title = Paul Allen spills the beans on Gates’ criminal past | place = [[United Kingdom|UK]]}}.</ref>
 
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At the end of the ban, the four students offered to find bugs in CCC's software in exchange for computer time. Rather than use the system via Teletype, Gates went to CCC's offices and studied [[source code]] for various programs that ran on the system, including programs in [[Fortran]], [[Lisp]], and [[machine language]]. The arrangement with CCC continued until 1970, when the company went out of business. The following year, Information Sciences, Inc. hired the four Lakeside students to write a payroll program in [[Cobol]], providing them computer time and royalties. After his administrators became aware of his programming abilities, Gates wrote the school's computer program to schedule students in classes. He modified the code so that he was placed in classes with "a disproportionate number of interesting girls."<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.gatesfoundation.org/media-center/speeches/2005/09/bill-gates-lakeside-school | title = Remarks by Bill Gates, co-chair | accessdate = July 13, 2013 | work = Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -  Press Room, Speeches}}</ref> He later stated that "it was hard to tear myself away from a machine at which I could so unambiguously demonstrate success."{{Sfn | Gates | 1996 | p = 12}}  At age 17, Gates formed a venture with Allen, called [[Traf-O-Data]], to make [[traffic counter]]s based on the [[Intel 8008]] processor.{{Sfn |Gates|1996| p= 14}}  In early 1973, Bill Gates served as a congressional page in the US House of Representatives.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.ushpaa.org/history.php | title = Congressional Page History | publisher = The United States House Page Association of America | quote = The Page Program has produced many politicians, Members of Congress, as well as other famous men and women. Some of these include: the Honorable John Dingell, the longest serving Member of Congress, Bill Gates, founder and CEO of the Microsoft Corporation, and Donnald K. Anderson, former Clerk of the House.}}{{dead link|date=September 2012}}</ref>
 
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Gates graduated from Lakeside School in 1973. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the [[SAT]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://theweekmagazine.com/article.aspx?id=803 | title=The new—and improved?—SAT | accessdate =May 23, 2006 | work =The Week Magazine|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060510205250/http://theweekmagazine.com/article.aspx?id=803 | archivedate = May 10, 2006| deadurl=yes}}</ref> and enrolled at [[Harvard College]] in the autumn of 1973.{{Sfn | Gates | 1996 | p = 15}}  While at Harvard, he met [[Steve Ballmer]], who later succeeded Gates as CEO of Microsoft.
 
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[[File:Poker Room.jpg|thumb|The Poker Room in [[Currier House (Harvard College)|Currier House]] at [[Harvard University]], where Gates and Allen formed Microsoft]]
 
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In his sophomore year, Gates devised an algorithm for [[pancake sorting]] as a solution to one of a series of unsolved problems<ref name="Kestenbaum2008">{{cite web|url= http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92236781 | title = Before Microsoft, Gates Solved A Pancake Problem| last = Kestenbaum | first =  David | date= July 4, 2008| publisher= [[National Public Radio]] |archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92236781 |archivedate=September 16, 2012}}</ref> presented in a [[combinatorics]] class by [[Harry R. Lewis|Harry Lewis]], one of his professors. Gates's solution held the record as the fastest version for over thirty years;<ref name="Kestenbaum2008"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2008/09/17-002.php | publisher = [[University of Texas at Dallas]]| date = September 17, 2008| title= UT Dallas Team Bests Young Bill Gates With Improved Answer to So-Called Pancake Problem in Mathematics | archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120805/http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2008/09/17-002.php | archivedate = August 5, 2012}}</ref> its successor is faster by only one percent.<ref name = "Kestenbaum2008" />  His solution was later formalized in a published paper in collaboration with Harvard computer scientist [[Christos Papadimitriou]].<ref name="gatespapadimitriou">{{cite journal | last1= Gates | first1 = William | last2 = Papadimitriou | first2=Christos| year=1979 | title=Bounds for sorting by prefix reversal | journal = [[Discrete mathematics]] | volume = 27 | pages = 47–57 | doi = 10.1016/0012-365X(79)90068-2}}</ref>
 
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Gates did not have a definite study plan while a student at Harvard{{Sfn | Gates | 1996 | p = 19}} and spent a lot of time using the school's computers. Gates remained in contact with Paul Allen, and he joined him at [[Honeywell]] during the summer of 1974.{{Sfn |Wallace| 1993| p = 59}}  The following year saw the release of the [[MITS Altair 8800]] based on the [[Intel 8080|Intel 8080 CPU]], and Gates and Allen saw this as the opportunity to start their own computer software company.{{Sfn |Gates|1996| p= 18}}  Gates dropped out of Harvard at this time.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nndb.com/people/435/000022369/ |title= Bill Gates | publisher = NNDb |accessdate= August 24, 2012 | archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120524/http://www.nndb.com/people/435/000022369/ |archivedate=May 24, 2012}}</ref> He had talked this decision over with his parents, who were supportive of him after seeing how much Gates wanted to start a company.{{Sfn | Gates | 1996 | p = 19}}
 
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==Microsoft==
 
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{{Main |History of Microsoft|Microsoft}}
 
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===BASIC===
 
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[[File:Altair 8800 Computer.jpg|thumb|left|MITS Altair 8800 Computer with {{Convert |8|in|mm|adj=on}} floppy disk system]]
 
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After reading the January 1975 issue of ''[[Popular Electronics]]'' that demonstrated the [[Altair 8800]], Gates contacted [[Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems]] (MITS), the creators of the new microcomputer, to inform them that he and others were working on a [[BASIC]] interpreter for the platform.<ref name= "keyevents">{{cite journal | title=Microsoft Visitor Center Student Information: Key Events in Microsoft History | url = http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/3/0/130dd86a-a196-4700-b577-521c4cf5cec1/key_events_in_microsoft_history.doc |publisher=Microsoft | format=.DOC |accessdate=February 18, 2008 | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080226224212/http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/3/0/130dd86a-a196-4700-b577-521c4cf5cec1/key_events_in_microsoft_history.doc | archivedate= February 26, 2008 | deadurl = no}}</ref> In reality, Gates and Allen did not have an Altair and had not written code for it; they merely wanted to gauge MITS's interest. MITS president [[Ed Roberts (computers)|Ed Roberts]] agreed to meet them for a demo, and over the course of a few weeks they developed an Altair [[emulator]] that ran on a minicomputer, and then the BASIC interpreter. The demonstration, held at MITS's offices in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]] was a success and resulted in a deal with MITS to distribute the interpreter as [[Altair BASIC]]. Paul Allen was hired into MITS,<ref name="thocp1">{{cite web | title= Microsoft history|publisher= The History of Computing Project | url=http://www.thocp.net/companies/microsoft/microsoft_company.htm | accessdate= March 31, 2008 | archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120523/http://www.thocp.net/companies/microsoft/microsoft_company.htm |archivedate=May 23, 2012}}</ref> and Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard to work with Allen at MITS in Albuquerque in November 1975. They named their partnership "Micro-Soft" and had their first office located in Albuquerque.<ref name=thocp1/> Within a year, the hyphen was dropped, and on November 26, 1976, the trade name "Microsoft" was registered with the Office of the Secretary of the [[New Mexico|State of New Mexico]].<ref name=thocp1/> Gates never returned to Harvard to complete his studies.
 
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Microsoft's BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February 1976, Gates wrote an [[Open Letter to Hobbyists]] in the MITS newsletter saying that MITS could not continue to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software without payment.{{Sfn |Manes|1994|p=81}}  This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that software developers should be able to demand payment. Microsoft became independent of MITS in late 1976, and it continued to develop programming language software for various systems.<ref name="thocp1" /> The company moved from Albuquerque to its new home in [[Bellevue, Washington|Bellevue]], Washington on January 1, 1979.<ref name="keyevents" />
 
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During Microsoft's early years, all employees had broad responsibility for the company's business.  Gates oversaw the business details, but continued to write code as well. In the first five years, Gates personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped, and often rewrote parts of it as he saw fit.<ref name= "waterloo">{{cite speech|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/2005/10-13Waterloo.aspx | last = Gates|first= William ‘Bill’ |title= Remarks | date= October 13, 2005| location= Waterloo, [[Ontario|ON]] | accessdate = March 31, 2008| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080406130809/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/2005/10-13Waterloo.aspx | archivedate= April 6, 2008 | deadurl = no}}</ref>
 
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===IBM partnership===
 
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[[IBM]] approached Microsoft in July 1980 regarding its upcoming personal computer, the [[IBM PC]].{{r |bunnell1982febmar}}  The computer company first proposed that Microsoft write the BASIC interpreter.  When IBM's representatives mentioned that they needed an operating system, Gates referred them to [[Digital Research]] (DRI), makers of the widely used [[CP/M]] operating system.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/1223/258_print.html |title=Pioneers Die Broke|work=Forbes| last =Maiello | first = John Steele Gordon Michael |date=December 23, 2002|accessdate =March 31, 2008 |archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/1223/258_print.html |archivedate = September 16, 2012}}</ref>  IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly, and they did not reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told him to get an acceptable operating system. A few weeks later Gates proposed using [[86-DOS]] (QDOS), an operating system similar to CP/M that [[Tim Paterson]] of [[Seattle Computer Products]] (SCP) had made for hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal with SCP to become the exclusive licensing agent, and later the full owner, of 86-DOS. After adapting the operating system for the PC, Microsoft delivered it to IBM as [[PC DOS]] in exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000.{{Sfn | Gates | 1996 | p = 54}}
 
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Gates did not offer to transfer the [[copyright]] on the operating system, because he believed that other hardware vendors would clone IBM's system.{{Sfn | Gates | 1996 | p = 54}} They did, and the sales of [[MS-DOS]] made Microsoft a major player in the industry.{{Sfn |Manes|1994|p=193}}  Despite IBM's name on the operating system the press quickly identified Microsoft as being very influential on the new computer, with ''PC Magazine'' asking if Gates were "The Man Behind The Machine?"<ref name="bunnell1982febmar">{{cite news | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=w_OhaFDePS4C&lpg=RA2-PA18&pg=PA16#v=onepage&q&f=false | title=The Man Behind The Machine? | type = interview | work=PC Magazine | month = Feb–Mar | year = 1982 | accessdate = February 17, 2012 | last = Bunnell | first = David | page= 16}}</ref> He oversaw Microsoft's company restructuring on June 25, 1981, which re-incorporated the company in Washington state and made Gates President of Microsoft and the Chairman of the Board.<ref name="keyevents" />
 
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===Windows===
 
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Microsoft launched its first retail version of [[Microsoft Windows]] on November 20, 1985, and in August, the company struck a deal with [[IBM]] to develop a separate operating system called [[OS/2]]. Although the two companies successfully developed the first version of the new system, mounting creative differences caused the partnership to deteriorate. It ended in 1991, when Gates led Microsoft to develop a version of OS/2 independently from IBM.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://groklaw.net/pdf/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/0000/PX00738.pdf |title=Challenges and Strategy |format=PDF |work=Groklaw |accessdate=Nov 17, 2011}}</ref>
 
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===Management style===
 
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[[File:Bill Gates - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|Bill Gates in January 2008]]
 
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From Microsoft's founding in 1975 until 2006, Gates had primary responsibility for the company's product strategy. He aggressively broadened the company's range of products, and wherever Microsoft achieved a dominant position he vigorously defended it. He gained a reputation for being distant to others; as early as 1981 an industry executive complained in public that "Gates is notorious for not being reachable by phone and for not returning phone calls."<ref name="freiberger19810831">{{cite news | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rD0EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA44&dq=%22radio%20shack%22%20%22model%20i%22&pg=PA49#v=onepage&q=%22radio%20shack%22%20%22model%20i%22&f=false | title=Bugs in Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III: How Bad Are They? | accessdate = February 28, 2011 | last =Freiberger | first = Paul | date=August 31, 1981 | publisher=InfoWorld | page = 49}}</ref> Another executive recalled that after he showed Gates a game and defeated him 35 of 37 times, when they met again a month later Gates "won or tied every game. He had studied the game until he solved it. That is a competitor."<ref name="Atari Thorlin Interview 2000">{{cite interview |title=Fred Thorlin: The Big Boss at Atari Program Exchange |url= http://www.atariarchives.org/APX/thorlininterview.php |publisher= Atari archives |year=2000 |month= April |last= Thorlin |first= Fred | interviewer= Kevin Savetz |accessdate = December 6, 2012}}</ref>
 
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As an executive, Gates met regularly with Microsoft's senior managers and program managers. Firsthand accounts of these meetings describe him as verbally combative, berating managers for perceived holes in their business strategies or proposals that placed the company's long-term interests at risk.<ref name = "rensin">{{cite journal | first=David|last= Rensin|title= The Bill Gates Interview|year= 1994|journal= Playboy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/steve/churchillclub.mspx | title=Steve Ballmer Speech Transcript&nbsp;— Church Hill Club | first=Steve|last=Ballmer | date=October 9, 1997 |publisher = Microsoft | accessdate= March 31, 2008 | archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/steve/churchillclub.mspx |archivedate= September 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
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He often interrupted presentations with such comments as, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"<ref name = "time GOS">{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/gates/gates5.html | first=Walter | last= Isaacson | title = The Gates Operating System |work=Time | date= January 13, 1997 | accessdate= March 31, 2008}} {{Dead link | date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot |deadlink=404}}</ref> and, "Why don't you just give up your [[Option (finance)|options]] and join the [[Peace Corps]]?"<ref>{{cite web |  url= http://www.breakingwindows.net/1link3.htm | title = Breaking Windows |work=The Wall Street Journal | last =Bank | first = David|date = February 1, 1999 | accessdate =March 31, 2008 |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120729/http://www.breakingwindows.net/1link3.htm |archivedate=July 29, 2012}}</ref> The target of his outburst then had to defend the proposal in detail until, hopefully, Gates was fully convinced.<ref name="time GOS" /> When subordinates appeared to be procrastinating, he was known to remark sarcastically, "I'll do it over the weekend."<ref name= "chapman">{{cite news| url = http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i8aV1bK5vmwLaw9wYr9nY5bFc4YA | first= Glenn|last= Chapman|title= Bill Gates Signs Off| date= June 27, 2008 | agency =Agence France-Presse |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120916/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i8aV1bK5vmwLaw9wYr9nY5bFc4YA |archivedate=September 16, 2012}}</ref><ref name="pdc97">{{cite speech | url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/1997/pdc.aspx | first=Bill | last= Gates | title = Remarks by Bill Gates | location=San Diego | date=September 26, 1997 | accessdate=March 31, 2008| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080420152409/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/1997/pdc.aspx| archivedate= April 20, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref name="herbold">{{cite book|first=Robert|year=2004|last=Herbold|title=The Fiefdom Syndrome: The Turf Battles That Undermine Careers and Companies&nbsp;– And How to Overcome Them|isbn=0-385-51067-5}}</ref>
 
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Gates's role at Microsoft for most of its history was primarily a management and executive role.  However, he was an active software developer in the early years, particularly on the company's [[programming language]] products.  He has not officially been on a development team since working on the [[TRS-80 Model 100]],<ref name="allison1993">{{cite interview |last=Gates |first=Bill |subjectlink=Bill Gates |interviewer=David Allison | url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/comphist/gates.htm | title=Bill Gates Interview | program=Transcript of a Video History Interview | work=Computer History Collection | publisher=National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution | accessdate=April 10, 2013 }}</ref> but wrote code as late as 1989 that shipped in the company's products.<ref name= "pdc97"/> On June 15, 2006, Gates announced that he would transition out of his day-to-day role over the next two years to dedicate more time to philanthropy. He divided his responsibilities between two successors, placing [[Ray Ozzie]] in charge of day-to-day management and [[Craig Mundie]] in charge of long-term product strategy.<ref name="mscorpnews">{{cite news | url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jun06/06-15CorpNewsPR.mspx | title=Microsoft Announces Plans for July 2008 Transition for Bill Gates |publisher=Microsoft|date=June 15, 2006 |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120523/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jun06/06-15CorpNewsPR.mspx |archivedate= May 23, 2012}}</ref>
 
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===Antitrust litigation===
 
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{{Further |United States Microsoft antitrust case|European Union Microsoft competition case}}
 
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[[File:Bill Gates - United States v. Microsoft.jpg|thumb|Gates giving his deposition at Microsoft on August 27, 1998]]
 
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Many decisions that led to [[United States antitrust law|antitrust]] litigation over Microsoft's business practices have had Gates's approval. In the 1998 ''[[United States v. Microsoft]]'' case, Gates gave deposition testimony that several journalists characterized as evasive. He argued with examiner [[David Boies]] over the contextual meaning of words such as, "compete", "concerned", and "we".  The judge and other observers in the court room were seen laughing at various points during the deposition.<ref name="GatesDepositionJudgeLaugh">{{cite news|accessdate=April 10, 2013 |url=http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9811/17/judgelaugh.ms.idg/index.html|title=Gates deposition makes judge laugh in court| first=Elizabeth | last=Wasserman | publisher=CNN|date=November 17, 1998 }}</ref> ''BusinessWeek'' reported:
 
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{{quotation |Early rounds of his deposition show him offering obfuscatory answers and saying 'I don't recall,' so many times that even the presiding judge had to chuckle. Worse, many of the technology chief's denials and pleas of ignorance were directly refuted by prosecutors with snippets of e-mail that Gates both sent and received.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= March 30, 2008|url= http://www.businessweek.com/1998/48/b3606125.htm | title = Microsoft's Teflon Bill|work=BusinessWeek |date=November 30, 1998 |archiveurl = http://archive.is/20120524/http://www.businessweek.com/1998/48/b3606125.htm |archivedate= May 24, 2012}}</ref>}}
 
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Gates later said he had simply resisted attempts by Boies to mischaracterize his words and actions. As to his demeanor during the deposition, he said, "Did I fence with Boies? ... I plead guilty. Whatever that penalty is should be levied against me: rudeness to Boies in the first degree."<ref name="truth">{{cite journal|last1=Heilemann |first1=John |last2=Chen |first2=Hy |last3=Wu |first3=J S |last4=Hyland |first4=B |last5=Lu |first5=X D |last6=Chen |first6=J J |title=The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But The Truth|date=November 1, 2000 |journal=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.11/microsoft_pr.html | accessdate=March 31, 2008 |month=May |volume=46|issue=8|pmid = 18509686 | doi =10.1007/s11517-008-0355-6|pages=833–9 |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120529/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.11/microsoft_pr.html |archivedate= May 29, 2012}}</ref> Despite Gates' denials, the judge ruled that Microsoft had committed [[monopolization]] and [[tying (commerce)|tying]], and blocking competition, both in violation of the [[Sherman Antitrust Act]].<ref name="truth" />
 
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===Appearance in ads===
 
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[[File:Bill Gates mugshot.png|thumb|upright|Gates mugshot of his 1977 arrest in [[New Mexico]]]]
 
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Gates appeared in a series of ads to promote Microsoft in 2008. The first commercial, co-starring [[Jerry Seinfeld]], is a 90-second talk between strangers as Seinfeld walks up on a discount shoe store (Shoe Circus) in a mall and notices Gates buying shoes inside.  The salesman is trying to sell Mr. Gates shoes that are a size too big. As Gates is buying the shoes, he holds up his discount card, which uses a slightly altered version of his own mugshot of his arrest in [[New Mexico]] in 1977 for a traffic violation.<ref>{{cite web|url=  http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/gatesmug1.html |title = Mugshots | publisher = The Smoking Gun | accessdate = June 9, 2010 |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/gatesmug1.html | archivedate = September 16, 2012}}</ref> As they are walking out of the mall, Seinfeld asks Gates if he has melded his mind to other developers, after getting a yes, he then asks if they are working on a way to make computers edible, again getting a yes. Some say that this is an homage to Seinfeld's own show about "nothing" (''[[Seinfeld]]'').<ref>{{cite web| url = http://adblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/08/1362333.aspx | title = Adblog | publisher = MSNBC |accessdate= June 9, 2010 | date = 2008-09-08}}{{dead link|date=March 2013}}</ref> In a second commercial in the series, Gates and Seinfeld are at the home of an average family trying to fit in with normal people.
 
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==Post-Microsoft==
 
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Since leaving day-to-day operations at Microsoft (where he remains Chairman<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/exec/billg/default.aspx |title=Official Bill Gates page at Microsoft.com |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120523/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/exec/billg/default.aspx |archivedate=May 23, 2012}}</ref>), Gates continues his philanthropy and, among other projects, purchased the video rights to the [[Messenger Lectures]] series called ''[[The Character of Physical Law]]'', given at [[Cornell University]] by [[Richard Feynman]] in 1964 and recorded by the [[BBC]]. The videos are available online to the public at Microsoft's [[Project Tuva]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Fried |first=Ina |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10286732-56.html |title=CNET Project Tuva |publisher=News.cnet.com |date=July 14, 2009 |accessdate=June 9, 2010 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120713/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10286732-56.html |archivedate=July 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Access-Project-Tuva-for-Free-Courtesy-of-Bill-Gates-116778.shtml |title=Access Project Tuva for Free, Courtesy of Bill Gates |publisher=News.softpedia.com |date=July 20, 2009 |accessdate=March 29, 2013 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120916/http://news.softpedia.com/news/Access-Project-Tuva-for-Free-Courtesy-of-Bill-Gates-116778.shtml |archivedate=September 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
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In April 2010, Gates was invited to visit and speak at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] where he asked the students to take on the hard problems of the world in their futures.<ref>Guo, Jeff; McQueen, Rob,
 
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{{cite web |url=http://tech.mit.edu/V130/N21/gates.html |title=Gates asks students to tackle world’s problems : Disease and education among biggest challenges |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120916/http://tech.mit.edu/V130/N21/gates.html |archivedate=September 16, 2012}}, ''[[The Tech (newspaper)|The Tech]]'', Volume 130, Issue 21, Friday, April 23, 2010</ref><ref>Guo, Jeff, {{cite web |url=http://tech.mit.edu/V130/N21/gates/interview.html |title=In interview, Gates describes philanthropic journey |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120714/http://tech.mit.edu/V130/N21/gates/interview.html |archivedate=July 14, 2012}}, ''The Tech'', Volume 130, Issue 21, April 23, 2010. (video & transcript). "After he spoke at Kresge Auditorium, Bill Gates sat down with The Tech to talk more about his college tour, his philanthropy, and the philosophy behind it."</ref>
 
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==Personal life==
 
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[[File:Bill og Melinda Gates 2009-06-03 (bilde 01).JPG|thumb|left|Bill and [[Melinda Gates]], June 2009]]
 
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Gates married [[Melinda Gates|Melinda]] French on January 1, 1994. They have three children: daughters Jennifer Katharine (b. 1996) and Phoebe Adele (b. 2002), and son Rory John (b. 1999). The family resides in [[Bill Gates' house|the Gates's home]], an [[earth sheltering|earth-sheltered house]] in the side of a hill overlooking [[Lake Washington]] in Medina. According to [[King County, Washington|King County]] public records, as of 2006 the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $125&nbsp;million, and the annual property tax is $991,000.
 
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Gates's {{convert|66000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} estate has a {{convert|60|ft|m|adj=on}} swimming pool with an underwater music system, as well as a {{convert|2500|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} gym and a {{convert|1000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} dining room.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/billionaire-homes-expensive-billionaires-2009-lifestyle-real-estate-homes_3.html?thisSpeed=30000 |title=coverage of the Gates' Medina, Washington estate |work=Forbes |date=May 22, 2002 |accessdate=June 9, 2010 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120906/http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/billionaire-homes-expensive-billionaires-2009-lifestyle-real-estate-homes_3.html?thisSpeed=30000 |archivedate=September 6, 2012}}</ref>
 
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Also among Gates's private acquisitions is the [[Codex Leicester]], a collection of writings by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], which Gates bought for $30.8&nbsp;million at an auction in 1994.<ref>{{harv|Lesinski|2006|p=74}}</ref> Gates is also known as an avid reader, and the ceiling of his large home library is engraved with a quotation from ''[[The Great Gatsby]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last = Paterson|first = Thane|title = Advice for Bill Gates: A Little Culture Wouldn't Hurt|work=Business Week|date = June 13, 2000|url = http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/june2000/nf00613b.htm
 
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|accessdate =April 28, 2008 | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080501175753/http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/june2000/nf00613b.htm| archivedate= May 1, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= yes}}</ref> He also enjoys playing bridge, tennis, and golf.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/default.aspx?tab=biography|title=Bill Gates: Chairman|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|year=2008 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120523/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/default.aspx?tab=biography |archivedate=May 23, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Profile: Bill Gates|publisher=BBC news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3428721.stm | date=January 26, 2004 | accessdate=January 1, 2010 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120721/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3428721.stm |archivedate=July 21, 2012}}</ref>
 
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Gates was number one on the [[Forbes 400]] list from 1993 through to 2007 and number one on ''Forbes'' list of [[Lists of billionaires|The World's Richest People]] from 1995 to 2007 and 2009. In 1999, his wealth briefly surpassed $101&nbsp;billion, causing the media to call Gates a "centibillionaire".<ref>{{harv|Fridson|2001|p=113}}</ref> Despite his wealth and extensive business travel Gates usually flew [[coach class|coach]] until 1997, when he bought a private jet.<ref name="zuckerman19971027">{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/27/business/new-jet-eases-travel-hassles-for-bill-gates.html | title=New Jet Eases Travel Hassles For Bill Gates | work=The New York Times | date=October 27, 1997 | accessdate=September 2, 2012 | author=Zuckerman, Laurence |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/27/business/new-jet-eases-travel-hassles-for-bill-gates.html |archivedate=September 16, 2012}}</ref> Since 2000, the nominal value of his Microsoft holdings has declined due to a fall in Microsoft's stock price after the [[dot-com bubble]] burst and the multi-billion dollar donations he has made to his charitable foundations. In a May 2006 interview, Gates commented that he wished that he were not the richest man in the world because he disliked the attention it brought.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bolger|first=Joe|date=May 5, 2006|title=I wish I was not the richest man in the world, says Bill Gates|work=The Times |location=UK |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/united_states/article713434.ece|accessdate =March 31, 2008  |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120710/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/united_states/article713434.ece |archivedate=July 10, 2012}}</ref> In March 2010, Gates was the second wealthiest person behind [[Carlos Slim]], but regained the top position in 2013 according to the Bloomberg Billionaires List.<ref name="Bloom" />
 
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Gates has several investments outside Microsoft, which in 2006 paid him a salary of $616,667 and $350,000 bonus totalling $966,667.<ref>{{cite web | title=Microsoft 2006 Proxy Statement | url=http://www.microsoft.com/msft/reports/proxy2006.mspx |publisher=Microsoft | date=October 6, 2007 | accessdate=February 14, 2008 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120530/http://www.microsoft.com/msft/reports/proxy2006.mspx |archivedate=May 30, 2012}}</ref> He founded [[Corbis]], a digital imaging company, in 1989. In 2004 he became a director of [[Berkshire Hathaway]], the investment company headed by long-time friend [[Warren Buffett]].<ref>{{cite news | last=Fried | first=Ina | date=December 14, 2004 | title=Gates joins board of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway | url=http://www.news.com/Gates-joins-board-of-Buffetts-Berkshire-Hathaway/2100-1014_3-5491312.html |publisher=[[CNET]] | accessdate=March 31, 2008 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120908/http://www.news.com/Gates-joins-board-of-Buffetts-Berkshire-Hathaway/2100-1014_3-5491312.html |archivedate=September 8, 2012}}</ref>
 
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===Philanthropy===
 
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[[File:Millennium Development Goals - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2008.jpg|thumb|Gates with [[Bono]], [[Queen Rania of Jordan]], former British Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]], President [[Umaru Musa Yar'Adua|Umaru Yar'Adua]] of Nigeria and others during the Annual Meeting 2008 of the [[World Economic Forum]] in [[Davos, Switzerland|Switzerland]]]]
 
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{{Main| Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation}}
 
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Gates began to appreciate the expectations others had of him when public opinion mounted suggesting that he could give more of his wealth to charity. Gates studied the work of [[Andrew Carnegie]] and [[John D. Rockefeller]], and in 1994 sold some of his Microsoft stock to create the William H. Gates Foundation. In 2000, Gates and his wife combined three family foundations into one to create the charitable [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]], which is the largest transparently operated charitable foundation in the world.<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=April 1, 2008|url=http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6919139|title=Flat-pack accounting |work=The Economist|date=May 11, 2006  |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120524/http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6919139 |archivedate=May 24, 2012}}</ref> The foundation allows benefactors access to information regarding how its money is being spent, unlike other major charitable organizations such as the [[Wellcome Trust]].<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=April 1, 2008|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3913581.stm|title=Bill Gates: billionaire philanthropist |publisher=BBC News |date=January 25, 2005|author=Cronin, Jon  |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120731/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3913581.stm |archivedate=July 31, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=April 1, 2008|url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/AboutUs/OurWork/OurApproach/|title=Our Approach to Giving |publisher=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080404212231/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/AboutUs/OurWork/OurApproach/ |archivedate = April 4, 2008|deadurl=yes}}</ref> The generosity and extensive philanthropy of [[David Rockefeller]] has been credited as a major influence. Gates and his father met with Rockefeller several times, and modeled their giving in part on the [[Rockefeller family]]'s philanthropic focus, namely those global problems that are ignored by governments and other organizations.<ref name="bill foundation">{{cite journal | title=2005 Annual Report | format= PDF |publisher=[[Rockefeller Brothers Fund]] | url=http://www.rbf.org/usr_doc/2005_Annual_Review.pdf | date=January 1, 2006 | accessdate=February 14, 2008| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080216010301/http://www.rbf.org/usr_doc/2005_Annual_Review.pdf| archivedate= February 16, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> As of 2007, Bill and Melinda Gates were the second-most generous philanthropists in America, having given over $28&nbsp;billion to charity;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive%5Freports/philanthropy%5Findividual |title=The 50 most generous Americans |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120222062206/http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/philanthropy_individual.html |archivedate=February 22, 2012}}</ref> the couple plan to eventually donate 95% of their wealth to charity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11565953 |title=Bill and Melinda Gates give 95% of wealth to charity |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120719/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11565953 |archivedate=July 19, 2012}}</ref>
 
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Gates's wife urged people to learn a lesson from the philanthropic efforts of the Salwen family, which had sold its home and given away half of its value, as detailed in ''[[The Power of Half]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://gulfnews.com/life-style/general/they-half-it-in-them-1.686505 |title=They half it in them |newspaper=Gulf News |author=Bina Abraham |date=October 1, 2010 |accessdate=March 17, 2011 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120708/http://gulfnews.com/life-style/general/they-half-it-in-them-1.686505 |archivedate=July 8, 2012}}</ref>  Gates and his wife invited Joan Salwen to Seattle to speak about what the family had done, and on December 9, 2010, Gates, investor [[Warren Buffett]], and [[Mark Zuckerberg]] (Facebook's CEO) signed a promise they called the "Gates-Buffet [[Giving Pledge]]", in which they promised to donate to charity at least half of their wealth over the course of time.<ref>{{cite news|last=Moss |first=Rosabeth |url=http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/dec2010/ca20101214_945792.htm |title=Four Strategic Generosity Lessons|work=Business Week  |date=December 14, 2010 |accessdate=March 9, 2011 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120724/http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/dec2010/ca20101214_945792.htm |archivedate=July 24, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38556042/ns/us_news-giving/ | title= 40 billionaires pledge to give away half of wealth| accessdate=August 8, 2010 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120907/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38556042/ns/us_news-giving/ |archivedate=September 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-home-living/a-rich-gift-homemade-jelly-for-bill-melinda-gates.aspx |title=A Rich Gift: Homemade Jelly for Bill and Melinda Gates |work=Mother Earth News |date=February 22, 2011 |author=Robyn Griggs Lawrence|accessdate=March 10, 2011 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-home-living/a-rich-gift-homemade-jelly-for-bill-melinda-gates.aspx |archivedate=September 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
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====Criticism====
 
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The foundation has been criticized by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' for investing its assets in companies that have been accused of worsening poverty, polluting heavily, and pharmaceutical companies that do not sell into the developing world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gatesx07jan07,0,6827615.story |title=Dark cloud over good works of Gates Foundation |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120916/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gatesx07jan07,0,6827615.story |archivedate=September 16, 2012}}, ''Los Angeles Times'', January 7, 2006.</ref>
 
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In response to press criticism, the foundation announced in 2007 a review of its investments, to assess social responsibility.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003517601_gatesinvest10.html |title=Gates Foundation to review investments |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120716/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003517601_gatesinvest10.html |archivedate=July 16, 2012}}, The Seattle Times, January 10, 2007.</ref> It subsequently canceled the review and stood by its policy of investing for maximum return, while using voting rights to influence company practices.<ref>[http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/01/14/14gates.html Gates Foundation to maintain its investment plan], ''The Austin Statesman'', January 14, 2007. {{dead link|date=September 2012}}</ref> The Gates Millennium Scholars program has been criticized by [[Ernest W. Lefever]] for its exclusion of [[Non-Hispanic Whites|Caucasian]] students.<ref>"{{cite web |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1999/nov/01/local/me-28639 |title=Bill Gates' 'Diversity' Subverts Merit |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120710/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/nov/01/local/me-28639 |archivedate=July 10, 2012}}", ''Los Angeles Times'', November 1, 1999</ref> The scholarship program is administered by the [[United Negro College Fund]].<ref>"{{cite web |url=http://www.gmsp.org/publicweb/AboutUs.aspx |title=The Gates Millennium Scholars program |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120803/http://www.gmsp.org/publicweb/AboutUs.aspx |archivedate=August 3, 2012}}"</ref>
 
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===Recognition===
 
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[[File:Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (522695099).jpg|thumb|left|Gates and [[Steve Jobs]] at the 5th {{nowrap|''D: All Things Digital''}} conference (''D5'') in 2007]]
 
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In 1987 Gates was listed as a billionaire in ''Forbes'' magazine's 400 Richest People in America issue, just days before his 32nd birthday. As the world's youngest self-made billionaire, he was worth $1.25&nbsp;billion, over $900&nbsp;million more than he'd been worth the year before, when he'd debuted on the list.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/19/young-tech-billionaire-gates-google-yahoo-wealth.html |title=The Next Bill Gates |work=Forbes |date=January 19, 2010 |accessdate=December 20, 2010 |first=Marie |last=Thibault |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120731/http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/19/young-tech-billionaire-gates-google-yahoo-wealth.html |archivedate=July 31, 2012}}</ref>
 
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''Time'' magazine named Gates [[Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century#The only people to shape both the 20th century and the early 21st|one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century]], as well as [[Time 100|one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, and 2006]]. ''Time'' also collectively named Gates, his wife Melinda and U2's lead singer [[Bono]] as the 2005 [[Time Magazine Person of the Year|Persons of the Year]] for their humanitarian efforts.<ref>{{harv|Lesinski|2006|p=102}}</ref> In 2006, he was voted eighth in the list of "Heroes of our time".<ref>{{cite news | author=Cowley, Jason | title=Heroes of our time&nbsp;— the top 50 | url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200605220016 |work=New Statesman |location=UK | date=June 22, 2006 | accessdate=February 17, 2008}}{{dead link|date=March 2013}}</ref> Gates was listed in the ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|Sunday Times]]'' power list in 1999, named CEO of the year by ''Chief Executive Officers magazine'' in 1994, ranked number one in the "Top 50 Cyber Elite" by ''Time'' in 1998, ranked number two in the ''[[Upside (magazine)|Upside]]'' Elite 100 in 1999 and was included in ''[[The Guardian]]'' as one of the "Top 100 influential people in media" in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=March 30, 2008|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/457951.stm|title=Gates 'second only to Blair' |publisher=BBC News |date=September 26, 1999 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120711/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/457951.stm |archivedate=July 11, 2012}}</ref>
 
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According to ''Forbes'', Gates was ranked as the fourth most powerful person in the world in 2012,<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=The World's Most Powerful People |magazine=Forbes |date=December 5, 2012 |accessdate=June 30, 2013  |url=http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/ |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20121230133410/http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/ |archivedate=December 30, 2012 |deadurl=no}}</ref> up from fifth in 2011.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=The World's Most Powerful People |magazine=Forbes |date=November 2, 2011 |accessdate=June 30, 2013  |url=http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/ |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20111204013058/http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/ |archivedate=December 4, 2011 |deadurl=yes}}</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
In 1994, he was honored as the twentieth [[DFBCS|Distinguished Fellow]] of the [[British Computer Society]]. Gates has received honorary doctorates from [[Nyenrode Business Universiteit]], [[Breukelen]], The Netherlands, in 2000;<ref>{{cite press release | language=Dutch| title=''Eredoctoraat Universiteit Nyenrode voor Wim Kok'' | url=http://www.nyenrode.nl/news/news_full.cfm?publication_id=599 |publisher=Nyenrode Business Universiteit | date=August 13, 2003 | accessdate=February 18, 2008|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080218131826/http://www.nyenrode.nl/news/news_full.cfm?publication_id=599 |archivedate = February 18, 2008|deadurl=yes}}</ref> the [[Royal Institute of Technology]], Stockholm, Sweden, in 2002;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-01-26/international-business/27286399_1_iit-kanpur-iit-delhi-iitians |title=IIT's diaspora has a party – Times Of India |newspaper=The Times of India |date=January 26, 2003 |accessdate=October 24, 2011 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120707/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-01-26/international-business/27286399_1_iit-kanpur-iit-delhi-iitians |archivedate=July 7, 2012}}</ref>  [[Waseda University]], Tokyo, Japan, in 2005; [[Tsinghua University]], Beijing, China, in April 2007;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/eng__news.php?id=1370 |title=Bill Gates Awarded Honorary Doctorate of Tsinghua |publisher=Tsinghua University |date=April 19, 2007 |accessdate=June 9, 2010 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120712/http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/eng__news.php?id=1370 |archivedate=July 12, 2012}}</ref> Harvard University in June 2007;<ref>{{cite news | author=Hughes, Gina | title=Bill Gates Gets Degree After 30 Years | url=http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/hughes/13653 |publisher=Yahoo! | date=June 8, 2007 | accessdate=February 18, 2008 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120717/http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/hughes/13653 |archivedate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> the [[Karolinska Institutet]], Stockholm, in January 2008,<ref>{{cite web | author=Svärd, Madeleine | title=Bill Gates honored with a doctor's cap | url=http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=130&a=47838&l=en&newsdep=130 |publisher=Karolinska Institutet | date=January 24, 2008 | accessdate=February 18, 2008 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120710/http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=130&a=47838&l=en&newsdep=130 |archivedate=July 10, 2012}}</ref> and Cambridge University in June 2009.<ref>{{cite news | author=University of Cambridge | title=The Chancellor in Cambridge to confer Honorary Degrees | url=http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2009061204 |publisher=University of Cambridge | date=June 12, 2009 | accessdate=August 20, 2009 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120717/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2009061204 |archivedate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> He was also made an honorary trustee of [[Peking University]] in 2007.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2098235.ece |work=The Times |location=London  | title=Gates how piracy worked for me in China | date=July 18, 2007 | accessdate=April 26, 2010 | first=Rhys | last=Blakely |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120707/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2098235.ece |archivedate=July 7, 2012}}</ref>
 
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Gates was made an [[British honours system#Honorary awards|honorary]] [[Order of the British Empire|Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (KBE) by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite news | title=Knighthood for Microsoft's Gates | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3428673.stm |publisher=BBC News  | date=March 2, 2005 | accessdate=February 18, 2008 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120711/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3428673.stm | archivedate= July 11, 2012}}</ref> He and his wife were awarded the [[Order of the Aztec Eagle]] in November 2006 for their philanthropic work around the world in the areas of health and education, particularly in Mexico, and specifically in the program "''{{lang|es|Un país de lectores}}''".<ref>{{cite web|url = http://diariooficial.segob.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=4936346 | accessdate=March 30, 2008|publisher=[[Diario Oficial de la Federación]] | title =Proclamation of the Award |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120707/http://diariooficial.segob.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=4936346 |archivedate=July 7, 2012}}</ref> Gates received the 2010 [[Bower Award for Business Leadership]] from [[The Franklin Institute]] for his achievements at Microsoft and his philanthropic work.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bower Award for Business Leadership |publisher=The Franklin Institute |year=2010 |accessdate=June 30, 2013  |url=http://www.fi.edu/franklinawards/10/bowerbus.html}}</ref> Also in 2010 he was honored with the [[Silver Buffalo Award]] by the [[Boy Scouts of America]], its highest award for adults, for his service to youth.<ref name="SB2010">{{cite journal |title=2010 Silver Buffalo Recipients |journal=Scouting | month =September–October | year = 2010 |page=39}}</ref>
 
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[[Entomology|Entomologists]] named [[Bill Gates' flower fly]], ''{{lang|la|Eristalis gatesi}}'', in his honor in 1997.<ref>{{cite web | last = Thompson | first = F. Christian | title=Bill Gates' Flower Fly ''Eristalis gatesi'' Thompson | url= http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/Diptera/syrphid/gates.htm |publisher=The Diptera Site | date=August 19, 1999 | accessdate =February 18, 2008 |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120805/http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/Diptera/syrphid/gates.htm |archivedate= August 5, 2012}}</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
In 2002, Bill and Melinda Gates received the [[Jefferson Awards for Public Service|Jefferson Award]] for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged.<ref>http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
===Investments===
 
−
* [[Cascade Investment|Cascade Investments LLC]], a private investment and holding company, incorporated in United States, is controlled by Bill Gates, and is headquartered in the city of [[Kirkland, Washington]].
 
−
* [[bgC3]], a new think-tank company founded by Bill Gates.
 
−
* [[Corbis]], a digital image licensing and rights services company.
 
−
* [[TerraPower]], a nuclear reactor design company.
 
−
* Research Gate, a social networking site for scientists. Gates has invested $35 million in the site.
 
−
 
 
−
==Books, films, and social media==
 
−
===Books===
 
−
To date, Bill Gates has authored two books:
 
−
*''[[The Road Ahead (Bill Gates book)|The Road Ahead]]'', written with Microsoft executive [[Nathan Myhrvold]] and journalist [[Peter Rinearson]], was published in November 1995. It summarized the implications of the personal computing revolution and described a future profoundly changed by the arrival of a global [[information superhighway]].
 
−
*''[[Business @ the Speed of Thought]]'' was published in 1999, and discusses how business and technology are integrated, and shows how digital infrastructures and information networks can help getting an edge on the competition.
 
−
 
 
−
===Documentaries===
 
−
* ''[[Triumph of the Nerds]]'' (1996)
 
−
*''[[Waiting for "Superman"]]'' (2010) <ref>{{cite web | url= http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9644610 |title= Bill Gates Goes to Sundance, Offers an Education |archiveurl= http://archive.is/20120701/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9644610 |archivedate=July 1, 2012 | publisher = ABC News | date = January 23, 2010}}</ref>
 
−
*''[[The Virtual Revolution]]'' (2010)
 
−
 
 
−
===Feature Films===
 
−
* ''[[Pirates of Silicon Valley]]'', a 1999 film which chronicles the rise of [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] and Microsoft from the early 1970s to 1997. Gates is portrayed by [[Anthony Michael Hall]].
 
−
*''[[The Social Network]],'' a 2010 film which chronicles the development of [[Facebook]]. Gates is portrayed by Steve Sires.<ref>[http://www.kval.com/news/entertainment/104288359.html 'Bogus Bill' has a blast playing billionaire in 'The Social Network']</ref>
 
−
 
 
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===Social Media===
 
−
In 2013, Gates became a LinkedIn Influencer.<ref>Wills, Amanda. "[http://mashable.com/2013/06/13/bill-gates-joins-linkedin/ Bill Gates Joins LinkedIn]", ''Mashable'', New York, 13 June 2013. Retrieved on 30 July 2013.</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
==See also==
 
−
{{Portal|Biography|Microsoft}}
 
−
* [[Big History]]&nbsp;– academic discipline advocated by Bill Gates
 
−
* [[List of billionaires]]
 
−
* [[List of college dropout billionaires]]
 
−
* [[List of wealthiest non-inflated historical figures]]
 
−
* [[Paul Allen]]&nbsp;– Microsoft's co-founder, friend, and fellow billionaire
 
−
 
 
−
==Notes==
 
−
{{Reflist | group = "lower-alpha"}}
 
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−
==References==
 
−
{{Reflist |colwidth =30em}}
 
−
 
 
−
===Bibliography===
 
−
* {{Citation |title=How to Be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth|first=Martin|last = Fridson |year=2001|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn= 0-471-41617-7}}
 
−
* {{Citation |title=The Road Ahead|last=Gates|first=Bill |year=1996 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn = 0-14-026040-4}}
 
−
* {{Citation |title=Bill Gates | type = biography |first=Jeanne M.|last=Lesinski|year=2006|publisher= [[A&E Television Networks]]|isbn= 0-8225-7027-0}}
 
−
* {{Citation |title =Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself The Richest Man in America | isbn = 0-671-88074-8| year = 1994| publisher = [[Touchstone Pictures]] | last = Manes | first = Stephen}}
 
−
* {{Citation |first=James|last=Wallace|year=1993|title=Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers|location=New York|isbn= 0-471-56886-4}}
 
−
 
 
−
==Further reading==
 
−
* {{Cite book|last=Bank|first=David|title=Breaking Windows: how Bill Gates fumbled the future of Microsoft | year = 2001|publisher=Free Press|location=New York|isbn= 0-7432-0315-1}}
 
−
* {{Cite book|last=Rivlin|first=Gary|title=The plot to get Bill Gates: an irreverent investigation of the world's richest man... and the people who hate him|year= 1999|publisher= Times Business|location= New York | isbn = 0-8129-3006-1}}
 
−
* {{Cite journal| month =December | year = 1998|title= 83 Reasons Why Bill Gates's Reign Is Over|journal = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|volume=6|issue=12|url= http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.12/microsoft.html}}
 
−
* {{cite web|author-link = Gary Kildall | first = Gary | last = Kildall | url= http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_43/b3905109_mz063.htm | title=The Man Who Could Have Been Bill Gates |work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |date=October 25, 2004 |accessdate = June 9, 2010}}
 
−
* [http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11622119 "The Meaning of Bill Gates: As his reign at Microsoft comes to an end, so does the era he dominated"], ''[[The Economist]]'', June 28, 2008.
 
−
 
 
−
==External links==
 
−
{{Sister project links|Bill Gates|wikt=no|v=no|s=Index:Bill Gates Letter to Hobbyists|b=no|}}
 
−
* {{Official website|http://www.thegatesnotes.com}}
 
−
* [http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]
 
−
* [http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/exec/billg/ Profile] at [[Microsoft]]
 
−
* [http://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates Profile] at [[Forbes]]
 
−
* {{C-SPAN|billgates}}
 
−
* {{Charlie Rose view|33}}
 
−
* {{TED|speakers/bill_gates.html}}
 
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* {{IMDb name|0309540}}
 
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* {{Guardiantopic|technology/billgates}}
 
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* {{NYTtopic|people/g/bill_gates}}
 
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* {{WSJtopic|person/G/bill-gates/685}}
 
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* {{Bloombergtopic|bill-gates}}
 
−
* {{worldcat id|lccn-n91-8414}}
 
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* {{OL author|id=OL34537A}}
 
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* {{Nndb|435/000022369}}
 
−
* [http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/30/news/newsmakers/gates_howiwork_fortune/  How I Work: Bill Gates], ''Fortune'', March 30, 2006.
 
−
* {{Citation | url = http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/09/16/richest-american-billionaires-lists-400list08-cx_mm_dg_0917richintro.html | title = The Forbes 400 | date = 2008‐9‐16}}.
 
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{{S-start}}
 
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{{S-hon}}
 
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{{Succession box
 
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| before = [[Warren Buffett]]<br>Warren Buffett
 
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| title  = [[List of billionaires|World's richest person]]
 
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| years  = 1996–2007<br>2009–2010
 
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| after  = Warren Buffett<br>[[Carlos Slim]]}}
 
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{{S-end}}
 
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{{Bill Gates}}
 
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{{Microsoft Executives}}
 
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{{Time Persons of the Year 2001-2025}}
 
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{{Berkshire Hathaway}}
 
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{{World's richest people}}
 
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{{Good article}}
 
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2013}}
 
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{{Use American English|date=March 2013}}
 
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{{Authority control|VIAF=102370574|GND=119081199}}
 
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{{Persondata
 
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| NAME              = Gates, Bill
 
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Gates, William Henry, III
 
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American business magnate
 
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| DATE OF BIRTH    = October 28, 1955
 
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| PLACE OF BIRTH    = [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|WA]], [[United States]]
 
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| DATE OF DEATH    =
 
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| PLACE OF DEATH    =
 
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}}
 
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, Bill}}
 
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[[Category:1955 births]]
 
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[[Category:American billionaires]]
 
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[[Category:American computer businesspeople]]
 
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[[Category:American computer programmers]]
 
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[[Category:American financiers]]
 
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[[Category:American humanitarians]]
 
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[[Category:American inventors]]
 
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[[Category:American investors]]
 
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[[Category:American nonprofit businesspeople]]
 
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[[Category:American people of English descent]]
 
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[[Category:American people of German descent]]
 
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[[Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent]]
 
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[[Category:American people of Scottish descent]]
 
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[[Category:American philanthropists]]
 
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[[Category:American technology chief executives]]
 
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[[Category:American technology company founders]]
 
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[[Category:American technology writers]]
 
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[[Category:Big History]]
 
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[[Category:Bill Gates| ]]
 
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[[Category:Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation people]]
 
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[[Category:Business people from Seattle]]
 
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[[Category:Businesspeople in software]]
 
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[[Category:Directors of Berkshire Hathaway]]
 
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[[Category:Directors of Microsoft]]
 
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[[Category:Fellows of the British Computer Society]]
 
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[[Category:Gates family]]
 
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[[Category:Giving Pledgers]]
 
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[[Category:Harvard University people]]
 
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[[Category:History of Microsoft]]
 
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[[Category:Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
 
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[[Category:Lakeside School alumni]]
 
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[[Category:Living people]]
 
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[[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering]]
 
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[[Category:Microsoft employees]]
 
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[[Category:National Medal of Technology recipients]]
 
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[[Category:Personal computing]]
 
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[[Category:People from King County, Washington]]
 
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[[Category:Placards of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (Mexico)]]
 
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[[Category:Windows people]]
 
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[[Category:Writers from Seattle, Washington]]
 

Revision as of 15:40, 29 August 2013

Me, Alex Chen, as I jumped off a rock into freezing cold water

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