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Bill Gates is undoubtedly the most renowned entrepreneur in the world at the moment and was the richest man in the world until February 2008, when Warren Buffet and Carlos Slim Helu overtook him on the rich list. With an existing fortune of $58 billion, Bill Gates has inspired millions of people to whom he delivered cutting edge technology and thus made global communication a lot easier. Gates is well known for his entrepreneurial skills but also for his philanthropy today, which sets him apart from a number of his peers and makes him an inspiration.

The Young William Gates

Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955 in Seattle. He did have a privileged childhood as a result of his father’s reputation as a great lawyer and the existing wealth of his maternal grandfather, a national bank president. As such, he received a private education and was always encouraged to follow his father into the field of law. However, Gates soon discovered computer science and decided to explore that avenue as well.

Gates’ entrepreneurial ventures began at an early age. He wrote his first computer program in high school and used his time to investigate various computer codes in order to advance his own education beyond that of his classmates. At the tender age of 17, he formed a company with classmate Paul Allen, which they called Traf-O-Data. They soon began to earn money as more and more companies began to hire them. Gates made $20,000 that year, which gave him a taste of what it was like to be an entrepreneur, which in turn spurred him on to bigger and better things!

Microsoft

While at Harvard University, Gates began to spot opportunities in the computer industry that would revolutionize it in years to come. Microsoft was born. Gates soon achieved a measure of success by writing source code and programs for other companies before deciding to use his entrepreneurial skills to make Microsoft itself a global force. The company restructured in 1981 and began to develop a prototype that would provide the world with a reliable and comprehensive computer operating system that could cater for the needs of individuals and businesses alike. It took four years, but Gates’ perseverance meant that Microsoft Windows went live in 1985 and has since become the most widely used operating system in the world.

Although Microsoft also created other products, Windows is the one that has remained its flagship for over twenty years.

Philanthropy

Bill Gates is truly a great entrepreneur, but it is his philanthropic efforts that he is widely recognised for today. He founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which has provided educational scholarship for underprivileged and talented children ever since and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Gates has also given away $21 billion of his fortune since 2001.

His efforts in both business and philanthropy will undoubtedly make him one of the most renowned entrepreneurs in history. He is already providing inspiration to the children he is helping to get an education every year, but the number of children he can and will help in the future mark him out as one very special man.