business
Published October 28, 2020
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Bill Gates was born October 28, 1955, in Seattle and grew up to become co-founder of Microsoft, the world's largest software company.
Here’s a look at the career of the billionaire and philanthropist.
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Gates dropped out of Harvard and co-founded Microsoft Corp. (formerly Micro Soft) with Paul Allen. Gates was the president of the company from 1977 to 1982.
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Gates introduced the Microsoft Windows operating system to compete with Apple. And in the mid-to-late 1980s, he began developing and promoting CD-ROM technology.
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He became the youngest US billionaire, worth $1.25 billion at 31 years old.
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Gates testified in front of Congress to respond to claims that Microsoft was unfairly muscling out its competition.
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The US government eventually brought a case against the tech giant in United States v. Microsoft Corp., accusing it of holding a monopoly. Microsoft and the Department of Justice settled in November 2001.
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He was awarded an honorary knighthood by Britain's Queen Elizabeth for outstanding contribution to enterprise.
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Gates and his wife Melinda, along with musician Bono, were all named Time Magazine's "Person of the Year.” The Gateses, the magazine noted at the time, "spent the year giving more money away faster than anyone ever has."
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Gates announced that he would give up his daily role at Microsoft. On June 27, 2008, he retired from his day-to-day work to concentrate on his humanitarian and educational interests.
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He was No. 1 on the Forbes World's Billionaires List for 12 consecutive years.
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The Gates Foundation announced it will donate $10 billion for vaccine research over the next 10 years.
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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has issued $54.8 billion in grant payments to charitable causes.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
In March, it's announced that Gates is leaving the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway to "dedicate more time to his philanthropic priorities."
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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been very involved with the race for a coronavirus vaccine, backing CureVac and pledging up to $100 million to help contain the outbreak.
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Gates ranks No. 2 on Forbes' list of billionaires, with a net worth of $98 billion at the time of publication.
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