Bill Gates, born William Henry Gates III on October 28, 1955, is an American businessman, programmer, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen and helped revolutionize personal computing with operating systems like MS-DOS and Windows. Gates served as Microsoft's CEO for 25 years, later transitioning to Chief Software Architect. He stepped down from the board in 2014 to focus on philanthropic work.
Gates is known for his philanthropic efforts through the Gates Foundation, which he co-founded with his former wife, Melinda French Gates. The foundation addresses global health, education, and poverty. Following their divorce, Melinda French Gates departed in 2024, leaving Bill Gates as the sole chair. In 2010, Gates and Warren Buffett founded the Giving Pledge, committing billionaires to donate at least half their wealth to philanthropy. Beyond the Gates Foundation, he is involved in climate tech through Breakthrough Energy. In early 2025, Gates announced an accelerated giving pledge to deploy most of his remaining wealth over the next 20 years and plans to close the Gates Foundation by 2045. In February 2025, Gates released his memoir, "Source Code: My Beginnings", detailing his early life and passion for computers.