William Henry Gates III

Bill Gates (http://www.microsoft.com/ presspass/images/exec/billg_bio.jpg)

Facts

Bill Gates is my hero. He is my hero because if he didn't co-found Microsoft, I wouldn't be able to use my Windows XP today. He was born on Oct. 28, 1955. Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. William H. Gates II, Bill Gates' father, is a Seattle attorney. His father is right now a retired attorney. Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher at the University of Washington and was the chairwoman of United Way International. He is currently the 3rd richest man as of 2008. He is worth about $58 billion. During his career at Microsoft he has held the positions of CEO and chief software architect. He remains the largest individual shareholder with more than 9 percent of the common stock. Gates attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13. He began Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen.

Records

Time magazine named Gates one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century. He was on the top on the "Forbes 400" list for 14 years.

Philanthropy

In 2006, Gates announced that he would move to a part-time role in Microsoft, leaving daily management in July 2008 to begin a regular career in philanthropy, but would remain as chairman.