Bill Gates is a name synonymous with Microsoft. The millennials of this era grew up hearing his name as the founder of Microsoft and witnessed his inspiring life story. Though the man was succeeded by a few others in being the richest man on this planet recently, he continued to rule at the helm of our world for a long time. His clever entrepreneurial decisions clubbed with humbleness and simplicity have made him a world favorite. This living legend frequently shares precious entrepreneurial success tips for the aspiring generation of today. His net worth is difficult to calculate as he makes millions per second. Here are some interesting pieces from the life of this enigmatic man…
Early Childhood and Education
Bill Gates was born and raised in Seattle, WA, along with his two sisters. His parents were William H. Gates Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates. His family house was damaged by a tornado when he was 7 years old. Growing up, his parents wanted him to pursue law. When he was just 13, he wrote his first software program. He helped form a group of programmers from his school to find a company – Traf – O – Data. They sold traffic-counting systems to local governments. He got into Harvard University in 1973. Bill was married to Melinda Gates for three decades and they have 3 children. The couple announced their divorce in 2021.
Later in life, he received honorary doctorates from various universities like the University of Stockholm in 2002, Dutch Business School in 2003, Harvard in 2007, and various others.
Starting Microsoft
Later, in 1975, Bill Gates, along with his friend, Paul Allen, developed their first software for microcomputers. After the success of this project, he quit Harvard in his junior year to form Microsoft along with Paul Allen. Their first successful gig was to license an operating system called MS-DOS to International Business Machines Corporation – then the biggest computer supplier.
The company was doing well, but in 1980, when Gates clicked a deal with IBM it changed computing forever. Microsoft sold the new software to IBM for $50,000 but held on to the copyright. Soon, the PC market skyrocketed and Microsoft began selling its software to other PC manufacturers as well. Microsoft began spreading its wings as the operating system in most computers around the globe.
Recently, in 2020, he stepped down as a board member of Microsoft after having worked on Microsoft for more than 40 years. As of 2021, he only owns 1% of Microsoft.
Windows
In 1985, Gates and Microsoft launched the Microsoft Windows operating system. This operating system was similar to the operating system of Apple, only that it was compatible with a variety of PC, unlike Apple, which required only Apple machines. Soon, Bill Gates won this battle between operating systems and his Windows came out to be a clear winner the world over.
The Journey Ahead
This was just the beginning and Gates soon launched other Windows Office programs like Excel and Word which resulted in the massive growth of the firm. They kept revising the Windows software year and year too.
World’s Richest Man
In 1986, Gates made Microsoft company public. The stock was worth $520 million with Gates owning 45% of the stocks himself. This led to the rapid growth of the company as the stock prices soared. Soon, his value rose above $100 billion. He became the richest man in the world.
What Made Bill Gates Successful?
A combination of hard work, perseverance, clever business sense, timing, and luck all worked to make him where he is today. Bill Gates is a very impressive team leader as he constantly motivates his employees to innovate and work harder.
Charities and Donations
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in the world. He has donated more than $28 billion to charity himself.
Life Lessons
- He tells young entrepreneurs to always aim high in life and take risks.
- He feels that success is a lousy teacher. One should not get overconfident with success.
- Bill Gates advises young minds to invest early in life and always plan ahead.
- He tells people to always value their time. No money on the planet can ever buy more time. So invest it wisely and prioritize important tasks.
- Gates advises people to enter into partnerships with successful people. It will help you let go of your ego and learn a few important business tricks.
- Always be ready for change.
- Keep your feet on the ground.
- Finally, he tells people to always innovate as innovation is the key to success.
Interesting Facts about Bill Gates
- His SAT scores were 1590 out of 1600.
- Bill’s grandmother nicknamed him ‘Trey’.
- Initially, Microsoft had a hyphen in between, ‘Micro-soft’. This term was a combination of microcomputer and software.
- In the initial years of the company, Gates personally checked every line of coding before shipping out a new Microsoft software product.
- In 2004, Bill Gates wrongly predicted that email spam would be a thing of the past by 2006. It sadly still exists.
- Queen Elizabeth dubbed him as an ‘honorary knight’. He cannot use the title of ‘Sir’ because he does not hold citizenship in the United Kingdom.
- In 1994, he purchased ‘Codex Leicester’ for over $30.8 million. These are a collection of scientific writings by Da Vinci. As per Gates, it is the second most costly item he owns after his private plane.
- He is a firm believer in religion and a devoted Catholic.
- He owns a mansion in Medina, Washington that overlooks the lake. The house was valued at $127 million in 2018.
- He played a charity tournament with Roger Federer in 2017 to raise money for African children.
- He made a guest appearance where he played the role of himself in season 11, episode 18 of The Big Bang Theory.
- He has authored three books on technology and climate change issues.
The exemplary life and inspiring life lessons from the great man himself can help you make your own life worth living. He is a simple and petite man with a very humble attitude that strikes a chord deep within. He may be small in build but is a giant in his thoughts and actions. His life is an example every aspiring entrepreneur should follow.
