Biography of bill gates pdf file

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Want more? Gates began to show an interest in computer programming at the age of 13 at the Lakeside School. He pursued his passion through college. Striking out on his own with his friend and business partner Paul Allen, Gates found himself at the right place at the right time. Through technological innovation, keen business strategy, and aggressive competitive tactics he built the world's largest software business, Microsoft.

In the process he became one of the richest men in the world. Bill Gates grew up in an upper middle-class family with two sisters: Kristianne, who is older, and Libby, who is younger. Their father, William H. Gates, Sr. She was an athletic, outgoing student at the University of Washington, actively involved in student affairs and leadership.

The Gates family atmosphere was warm and close, and all three children were encouraged to be competitive and strive for excellence. Bill showed early signs of competitiveness when he coordinated family athletic games at their summer house on Puget Sound. He also relished in playing board games Risk was his favorite and excelled in Monopoly.

Bill had a very close relationship with his mother, Mary, who after a brief career as a teacher devoted her time to helping raise the children and working on civic affairs and with charities. She would often take Bill along on her volunteer work in schools and community organizations. Bill was a voracious reader as a child, spending many hours pouring over reference books such as the encyclopedia.

Around the age of 11 or 12, Bill's parents began to have concerns about his behavior. He was doing well in school, but he seemed bored and withdrawn at times. His parents worried he might become a loner. Though they were strong believers in public education, when Bill turned 13 they enrolled him in Seattle's Lakeside School, an exclusive preparatory school.

Biography of bill gates pdf file

He blossomed in nearly all his subjects, excelling in math and science, but also doing very well in drama and English. While at Lakeside School, a Seattle computer company offered to provide computer time for the students. The Mother's Club used proceeds from the school's rummage sale to purchase a teletype terminal for students to use. Bill Gates became entranced with what a computer could do and spent much of his free time working on the terminal.

He wrote a tic-tac-toe program in BASIC computer language that allowed users to play against the computer. The two became fast friends, bonding on their common enthusiasm over computers, even though they were very different. Allen was more reserved and shy. Bill was feisty and at times combative. They both spent much of their free time together working on programs.

Occasionally, they disagreed and would clash over who was right or who should run the computer lab. On one occasion, their argument escalated to the point where Allen banned Gates from the computer lab. On another occasion, Gates and Allen had their school computer privileges revoked for taking advantage of software glitches to obtain free computer time from the company that provided the computers.

After their probation, they were allowed back in the computer lab when they offered to debug the program. During this time, Gates developed a payroll program for the computer company the boys hacked into, and a scheduling program for the school. Inat the age of 15, Bill Gates went into business with his pal, Paul Allen. Gates and Allen wanted to start their own company, but Gates' parents wanted him to finish school and go on to college where they hoped he would work to become a lawyer.

Bill Gates graduated from Lakeside in He scored out of on the college SAT test, a feat of intellectual achievement that for several years he boasted about when introducing himself to new people. He enrolled at Harvard University in the fall, originally thinking of a career in law. But his freshman year saw him spend more of his time in the computer lab than in class.

Gates did not really have a study regimen. Instead, he could get by on a few hours of sleep, cram for a test, and pass with a reasonable grade. Gates remained in contact with Paul Allen who, after attending Washington State University for two years, dropped out and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to work for Honeywell. In the summer ofGates joined Allen at Honeywell.

During this time, Allen showed Gates an edition of Popular Electronics magazine featuring an article on the Altair mini-computer kit. Both boys were fascinated with the possibilities this computer could make toward personal computing. In reality, they didn't have an Altair to work with or the code to run it. But they wanted to know if MITS was interested in someone biography of bill gates pdf file such software.

Gates and Allen scrambled, and spent the next two months writing the software at Harvard's computer lab. It worked perfectly. InGates and Allen formed a partnership they called Micro-Soft, a blend of "micro-computer" and "software. Though their BASIC software program for the Altair computer netted the company a fee and royalties, it wasn't meeting their overhead.

At this time, much of the personal computer enthusiasts were people not in it for the money. They felt the ease of reproduction and distribution allowed them to share software with friends and fellow computer enthusiasts. Bill Gates thought differently. He saw the free distribution of software as stealing, especially when it involved software that was created to be sold.

In February ofGates wrote an biography of bill gates pdf file letter to computer hobbyists saying that continued distribution and use of software without paying for it would "prevent good software from being written. The letter was unpopular with computer enthusiasts, but Gates stuck to his beliefs and would use the threat of innovation as a defense when faced with charges of unfair business practices.

The combative Gates clashed with Roberts on software development and the direction of the business. Roberts considered Gates spoiled and obnoxious. In mid Gates and Allen incorporated Microsoft, and Gates was appointed president and chairman of the board. Allen was named executive vice-president. ByMicrosoft was going global with offices in Great Britain and Japan, and with 30 percent of the world's computers running on its software.

But also brought news that rocked Microsoft to its very foundation. Paul Allen was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Though his cancer went into remission a year later with intensive treatment, Allen resigned from company that same year. Rumors abound as to why Allen left Microsoft. Some say Bill Gates pushed him out, but many say it was a life-changing experience for Allen and he saw there were other opportunities that he could invest his time in.

In earlya computer company called VisiCorp developed a mouse-driven computer system that used a graphic interface to display text and images on the screen. This differed greatly from the text and keyboard driven MS-DOS system where all text formatting showed on the screen as code and not what actually would be printed. For the unsophisticated user—which was most of the buying public—the graphic imagery of the VisiCorp software would be so much easier to use.

Gates announced in an advertising campaign that a new Microsoft operating system was about to be developed that would use a graphic interface. The announcement was a bluff, in that Microsoft had no such program under development. But as a marketing tactic it was sheer genius as nearly 30 percent of the computer market was using the MS-DOS system and would wait for Windows software rather than change to a new system.

Without people willing to change formats, software developers were unwilling to write programs for the VisiCorp system and it lost momentum by early In NovemberBill Gates and Microsoft launched Windows; nearly two years after his announcement. Visually the Windows system looked very similar to the Macintosh system Apple Computer Corporation had introduced nearly two years earlier.

Gates had advised Apple to license their software but they ignored the advice, being more interested in selling computers. Once again, Gates took full advantage of the situation and created a software format that was strikingly similar to the Macintosh. Apple threatened to sue and Microsoft retaliated, saying it would delay shipment of its Microsoft compatible software for Macintosh users.

In the end, Microsoft prevailed in the courts because it could prove that while there were similarities in how the two software systems operated, each individual function was distinctly different. Gates held 45 percent of the company's Over time, the company's stock increased in value and split numerous times. Since then, Gates has been on the top or near the top of Forbes' list of the world's wealthiest people.

Yet, Bill Gates never felt totally secure about the status of his company. Always having to look over his shoulder to see where the competition was, he developed a white hot drive and competitive spirit. Gates expected everyone in the company to have the same drive and dedication. One story goes that one of Gates' assistants had come to work early to find someone sleeping under a desk.

She considered calling security or the police when she discovered it was Gates. Bill Gates' intelligence allowed him to be able to see all sides of the software industry— product development and corporate strategy. When analyzing any corporate move, he would develop a profile of all the possible cases and run through them, asking questions about anything that could possibly happen.

His confrontational management style became legend as he would challenge employees and their ideas to keep the creative process going. An unprepared presenter would hear, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! But this was as much a test of the rigor of the employee as it was Gates' passion for his company. He was constantly testing the people around him to see if they were really convinced of their ideas.

Outside the company, Bill Gates was gaining a reputation as a ruthless competitor. Rather than give into the pressure, Gates pushed ahead with the Windows software, improving its operation and expanding its uses. InMicrosoft introduced Microsoft Office which bundled office productivity applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel into one system that was compatible with all Microsoft products.

This left Microsoft with a virtual monopoly on operating systems for PCs. Soon the Federal Trade Commission began to investigate Microsoft for unfair marketing practices. Microsoft faced a string of Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department investigations throughout the s. Other charges involved Microsoft forcing computer manufactures to sell Microsoft's Internet Explorer as a condition for selling the Windows operating system with their computers.

At one point, Microsoft faced a possible break up of its two divisions—operating systems and software development. Microsoft defended itself, harking back to Bill Gates' earlier battles with software piracy, and proclaiming that such restrictions were a threat to innovation. Eventually, Microsoft was able to find a settlement with the federal government to avoid a breakup.

Through it all, Gates found some inventive ways to deflect the pressure with lighthearted commercials and public appearances at computer trade shows posing as Star Trek's Mr. Gates continued to run the company and weather the federal investigations through the s. Ina year-old Microsoft executive named Melinda French caught the eye of Bill Gates, then The very bright and organized Melinda was a perfect match for Gates.

In time, their relationship grew as they discovered an intimate and intellectual connection. On January 1,Melinda and Bill were married in Hawaii. But only a few months later heartbreak struck Bill Gates as his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died in June Gates was devastated. Bill and Melinda took some time off in to travel to several countries and get a new perspective on life and the world.

Intheir first daughter, Jennifer, was born. A year later, Gates moved his family into a 55, sq ft. Though the house serves as a business center, it is said to be a very cozy home for the couple and their three children. With the influence of his wife Melinda, Gates took an interest in filling his mother's role as a civic leader. He began to realize that he had an obligation to give more of his wealth to charity.

Being the consummate student he was, Gates studied the philanthropic work of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, titans of the American industrial revolution. InGates and his wife established the William H. Gates Foundation which was dedicated to supporting education, world health, and investment in low-income communities. Inthe couple combined several family foundations to form the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill Gates stepped down from the day-to-day operations of Microsoft inturning over the job of CEO to college friend Steve Ballmer who had been with Microsoft since He positioned himself as chief software architect so he could concentrate on what was for him the more passionate side of the business. He still remains chairman of the board. Over the next few years, his involvement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation occupied much of his time and even more of his interest.