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Bill Gates

by Liam from San Diego

Bill Gates (http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2015/01/28/bi ())
Bill Gates (http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2015/01/28/bi ())


Bill Gates has donated more than 31.6 billion dollars towards philanthropic causes through Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.) Because of Bill Gate's donations many diseases, such as polio, are closer to being eradicated. He is also helping poor countries have food and clean water and much more. Bill Gates was born in Seattle, Washington on October 28, 1955. From an early age, he was working with computers. He was interested in creating the software that made them work. He had many opportunities to make money while doing what he loved. Nowadays he is known as the Co-Founder of Microsoft and a philanthropist. He married his wife Melinda in 1994 and now has a foundation called the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support the fight against issues in the world.  (Boyd, Aaron). A hero is someone who is selfless and will give up his own things for the better of others. Often the reason why they give up so much for others is because they care for everyone in the world and feel as though everyone should be able to do the same things as everyone else. Heroes help solve worldwide problems through hardwork and determination. Bill Gates couldn't have donated 31.6 billion dollars if he didn't work hard to get that much money. If he wasn't selfless, he would still have all of that money putting it to things like a house that can fit 200 people for only 2 people. Why would Bill Gates do all of these things for these people if he didn't care about them? Bill Gates is a hero because he gives so much away to help others, he likes to help others so that their lives are better, and he will never give up on what he tries to do.


Bill Gates has used his money for things better than himself. Gates could've used the money for his own selfish wants but instead gave it away to better the world. Instead it was evidenced a long time ago that he was going to leave some of his responsibilities at Microsoft to help others. "But there have been indications in the last few years that Bill's focus on software may be straying a little. He has expressed an interest in biotechnology, for example, and invested millions of his own money into ICOS, a company dedicated to developing biotech cures for autoimmune diseases" (Boyd, Aaron). Even back in 1995, Bill Gates was thinking of using his money for greater things. Before he stepped down from CEO of Microsoft to create his own foundation, he would donate money towards other foundations. Eventually, he left his position as CEO to spend even way more time with the foundation. "In June of 2008, Gates was ready to devote his full-time energy to matters of philanthropy. He stepped down as a full-time employee of Microsoft in order to devote more time to managing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He remained as Microsoft's non-executive chair, and he also worked part-time on special projects for the company, but he focused on the Foundation's work in the areas of education and health"("William H. Gates") Bill stepped down from his CEO position to help people around the world. Continuing to work as the CEO of Microsoft would've  earned him more money than him working as Microsoft's non-executive chair. But would've brought his attention away from helping those in need. Bill Gates has used his money for a greater cause than himself because he knows that not everything is about him.  Others deserve to have the basic needs of life and his foundation has helped many people live better lives.

Bill Gates working with his foundation. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/ ())
Bill Gates working with his foundation. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/ ())


Bill Gates is a philanthropist because he wants to use his money for better things than himself. He wants to help the less fortunate because he cares about them. Gates takes time deciding on which foundation and cause he should donate towards. He makes sure his money is going to make an effect on peoples lives. He also takes the time to write a whole overview of the achievements of the year. "I ended 2013 by compiling something slightly unusual: a list of some of the good news you might have missed. I thought it was a pretty good note to end the year on, and people seemed to like reading about some of the ways the world is becoming a better place. This year, I thought I'd do it again. Of course, we can't ignore the fact that it's been a turbulent year, in the United States and many other countries. But it's worth taking a moment to celebrate some of the good news too. More children are surviving than ever before. We're making progress against some of the world's deadliest diseases. These are some of the most fundamental ways to measure the world's progress-and by that measure, 2014 was definitely another good year" (Gates, Bill). If you check Bill's website you can find the article. It talks about all of their progress in 2014. A lot of the causes were ones that he donated towards. He cares about helping people have good lives. He has helped save millions of children from dying before the age of five.  Bill Gates has provided vaccines and treatment for less fortunate people.

Bill even changed his own lifestyle earlier than he expected because he noticed how  many people needed help. "And, Gates told the Economist, "I used to have the notion that I would wait until my 50s or 60s to put substantial resources into the foundation.... Seeing how urgent the needs are changed my timeline" ("Bill Gates.") Bill noticed how many people needed his help and gave up his giant source of income to begin running his foundation. Without Bill's contributions, it would take a lot longer to solve all of these problems in our world. Many people with the same power as Bill are not supporting those that are not as fortunate as them. Without the care Bill shows towards the people he helps, he would have no reason to give his money towards causes with no relevance to him.

Bill Gates quote. (http://www.geckoandfly.com/14540/15-inspiring-bill ())
Bill Gates quote. (http://www.geckoandfly.com/14540/15-inspiring-bill ())


Bill Gates got to where is he today through hard work and determination. Bill Gates expected his employees to work as hard as they could, but he always drove himself even harder. "He even joked about what he called his seven-hour turnaround: leave the office late at night, go home, eat, sleep, and be back in the office only seven hours later. Bill was proud of his seven-hour turn around, and expected his employees to show the same dedication. Some could stand the pressure, even thrived on it. Others could not" (Boyd, Aaron). The reason why Gates is able to provide support towards all of these causes is because of all of the hard work he put into his business. He took many risks but he worked hard to create good products to make his fortune. "[Bill] once told a friend that from his earliest days in school his attitude had been "I'll show them." During his first four decades of life, Bill Gates has certainly succeeded in accomplishing this goal. There is little reason to think he will not continue to do so"(Boyd, Aaron). Bill made someone out of himself through his hardworking and determined personality. He wanted to show that he could do something amazing and truly be a hero to other people. Gates has truly worked hard to complete his dreams and help others.


Bill Gates is a hero because he gives his money to the less fortunate, cares about the welfare of good people, and is a hardworking and determined person. Bill Gates made many risks in his life to make it to where he is today. His hard work and determination has given him the ability to help many people.  He has given a lot of his fortune away to improve the lives of others that need it. Bill Gates inspires people to work hard and help those that are less fortunate. If people were all able to help each other then there would be less people without the basic needs of life. He calls us all to be less selfish and to work to get what we dream. Bill Gates calls us all to be give what we can to the less fortunate, to work hard for what we want and not expect it to come to us.  


Works Cited

"Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation." http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates, 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

"Bill Gates." Business Leader Profiles for Students. Ed. Sheila Dow and Jaime E. Noce. Vol. 2.  Detroit: Gale, 2002. Biography in Context. Web. 30 Jan. 2015

Boyd, Aaron. "Smart Money: The Story Of Bill Gates." Smart Money: The Story Of Bill Gates

(1995): 9. Biography Reference Center. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

Gates, Bill. "Home." http://www.gatesnotes.com/ Home. N.p., 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

"William H. Gates." World of Invention. Gale, 2006. Biography in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.



Page created on 2/12/2015 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 2/12/2015 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Gate's Notes - Gate's notes on what he does.
Gate's Foundation - Information on Gate's foundation.