Bill Gates

Bill Gates has been an extremely intelligent person in his lifetime, and that has contributed greatly to his success as a businessman, and as a person. Bill Gates did not exactly start from the bottom, but his ability to improve upon programs and his unique intelligence helped him rise to the top. Even in his adolescence, Bill was smart, and people knew it.

When he was 13, his parents believed he was not being challenged in his public school and enrolled him in the private and highly demanding Lakeside School. The school acquired a computer terminal and young Bill Gates was immediately fascinated. He and a small group of friends, including his future business partner Paul Allen, took every opportunity to explore the possibilities of the new technology. (Achievement.org)

Gates was moved to a private school to be more challenged, and yet he still found a passion to pursue. He decided to begin a hobby of tinkering, and that in turn led him to pursue a career in what he loved. He devoted himself to learning about it, to understand it, and to leave his mark on the computer industry. Any other children, or even adults for that matter, would accept the computer for what it was, and not something to be improved. Even as a young child, Bill Gates was already interested in computers. Recalling the efforts he and his friends went through to get access to technology, Bill said:

The first computer we used was a GE time-sharing system. So, it's these companies making smaller computers that were very fascinating to us. Joining all the user groups. DEC had one called the DECUS User Group. Getting on every mailing list. So, we just put our name down and checked everything in there and tried to learn about the world of computing. (Interview with Bill Gates)

Bill Gates is not solely defined as an intelligent person, because his devotion to helping others must be celebrated, as few would keep such a high moral standing. Gates' efforts do not go unnoticed, even by his colleagues. Fellow billionaire, Warren Buffet, said: "He reads many thousands of pages annually so that he can learn how to attack the world's most dangerous illnesses. Both Bill and Melinda bring an extraordinary blend of head and heart to the incredibly tough job of intelligently giving away billions of dollars". Bill Gates puts extreme effort into learning about diseases and how to treat them in the world. He does not just give away money to charities and say, "Go on, and spend it." Rather he researches on his own time, with his own mind, and with selfless dedication. Many people, if they came into millions, would spend it on frivolous purchases, yet Gates' philanthropy serves as a call to action to better oneself morally. If a wealthy man is capable of such charitable deeds, then all people are capable of selfless acts of public service. Bill Gates created a company that earned him billions and billions of dollars, and he stayed CEO of that company for almost 30 years. But after realizing he could not effectively help the world from where he was, he decided to resign from CEO: "The same year, Bill Gates stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, though he remains Chairman of the Board of Directors. Since 2008, he has devoted his energies to the direction of the Gates Foundation, applying his entrepreneurial expertise to combating disease and poverty around the world." (Achievemnet.org) Microsoft is one the most lucrative businesses in the world. If Bill Gates had stayed CEO, and not stepped down in 2008, he would have nearly twice the amount of money as he would otherwise. However, he knew his job was to help, so he left one the best-paying jobs in the world to do so. Bill Gates created the Gates Foundation for the sole purpose of helping people. The foundation has combated diseases, created vaccines, sent food and medicine to Africa, and researched new ways to obtain resources. Bill has put time and effort into this group, with no thought of self-gain. He wanted to make the Earth a better place, but he realized he could not do it alone. Instead of being selfish and superior, Bill Gates has devoted much time and effort to the cause of helping the people and Earth and eradicating diseases, which is more than many people on this planet can say. His actions inspire many people act more selflessly in life, through example. All in all, because of his actions towards others, Bill Gates can be considered very kind, which contributes to his status of "Hero".

Bill Gates is a smart and kind man, but neither of those compare to the generous man he has proven himself to be through his actions. Bill Gates was the richest man in the world for many years, and continues to gain more wealth than the majority of people in the world. However, he has also given away more money than anyone has in recorded history. "I'm talking about the Bill who, along with his wife Melinda, has in a far shorter length of time developed and funded the most innovative and successful foundation in history. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has a $27 billion endowment and in just a few years has pledged more than $7 billion." (Time magazine) Bill Gates, in a very short time, gave away almost 35 billion dollars to charity. That's more than J.P. Morgan did, even by scaling inflation. J.P. Morgan had only given away $13 billion by the time he died. Bill Gates gave away a lot of money to charity, instead of hoarding it. Gates created a foundation to create new ways to put his funds to use. The Gates Foundation has no spending limit, and the people in the group are not paid, as all the money is used in the inventions, like a laser used to kill female mosquitoes. The amount of money put forth into this shows Bill's generosity with his money, because the average billionaire would not pour his/her entire fortune into a charity. Bill Gates gave away a lot of money, but some people believe he has too much he has not given away. Bill Gates then signed a pledge proving his generosity: "Gates has donated nearly 40 percent of his fortune to the private foundation he runs with his wife Melinda, and he is the co-founder, alongside with Warren Buffett, of the Giving Pledge, a worldwide campaign that invites millionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to charity or philanthropic activities. Like Buffet, Gates has rallied North America's rich to give back to society, serving as an example through his work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Thus far, 105 millionaires have signed the pledge." (Fusion.net) Bill Gates has not been alone in his efforts to give away money. He has gotten others to give to charity, along with creating his own. Anyone else giving to charity would only give to charity, and not go as far as Bill Gates did with his money. He wanted to give back to society, and share the wealth he has gained over the years. Bill Gates is a generous man due to his charitable efforts, his money relinquishing, and his founding of one of the largest charities in the world. Bill Gates has given away more money than anyone has, and that has earned him the label, hero.

Bill Gates is a very generous and kind man, along with outstanding intelligence to boot; that is why he deserves to be called a hero. Bill Gates is an extremely intelligent man, because at only 13 years old, he was already coding programs, and later creating the first computer virus. Later, he used his intelligence to form a highly profitable business. After the business became the moneymaker of the world, Gate's morals did not change. He gave away 20 billion dollars to charity, and formed his own disease-fighting charity, and poured millions of dollars into that as well. Finally, Gates gave up his CEO position and relinquished control of Microsoft to pursue a life of helping people around the world. He traveled to Africa, and devoted his life to memorizing and combating diseases that take their toll of civilization. Bill Gates is an inspiring, 58-year-old man. His foundation has cured polio, and is currently working on a inexpensive cure for Malaria. After finishing an interview, Gates said: "I'd say that my job, throughout all this, has been, I think, the most fun job I can imagine having. And partly the people I've gotten to work with outside the company. Certainly there are great people inside the company. And certainly, for at least a decade or [laughs], that will just continue to be the case.". Even after forming a company, seeing the death of this world, and what money could do to people, Bill Gates still sees the most positive things in life, not the reward he should be getting for the work he's put in. He enjoys living his life. He worked hard, and got far. I think that is a motto and a lifestyle we could all stand to live by a little more. His foundation eradicated polio from this world, and that is an outstanding feat to accomplish, especially because my grandfather suffered horribly from the disease. I feel as if the foundation itself has become a greater thing than people realize, because it helps millions everyday. I aspire to someday be like Bill Gates, made famous with effort, but made even more known by gratuitous actions. Although Bill Gates may earn more than $100 a second, his fortune has grown smaller over the years. As it turns out, Bill Gates has given away almost 65% of his entire fortune to charities devoted to making the world a better place.  He has helped many people in this world, and has become rich off a simple idea that he had. But even after all the fame, fortune, and attention he has received from this, absolutely none of his morals ever changed.