Bill Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs and pioneers of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Gates is known for co-founding Microsoft Corporation. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president and chief software architect, while also being the largest individual shareholder until May 2014. After stepping down from Microsoft, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors, serving as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In 1975, Gates and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft, which became the world's largest PC software company. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of chairman, CEO and chief software architect, while also being the largest individual shareholder until May 2014. In addition to his responsibilities at Microsoft, Gates also founded numerous companies including the chairman and founder of Cascade Investment, the chairman and founder of Branded Entertainment Network, the chairman and co-founder of TerraPower, and the founder of Breakthrough Energy and Gates Ventures. Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in January 2000, but he remained as chairman and created the position of chief software architect for himself. In June 2006, Gates announced that he would be transitioning from full-time work at Microsoft to part-time work and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He gradually transferred his duties to Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie. In February 2014, Gates stepped down as chairman of Microsoft, becoming a technology advisor to support then-newly appointed CEO Satya Nadella.

Since 1987, Gates has been included in the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest people. From 1995 to 2017, he held the Forbes title of the richest person in the world all but four of those years. In October 2017, he was surpassed by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who had an estimated net worth of $90.6 billion compared to Gates' net worth of $89.9 billion at the time. In 2009, Gates and Warren Buffett founded The Giving Pledge, whereby they and other billionaires pledge to give at least half of their wealth to philanthropy. Gates has also written several books, including "The Road Ahead," "Business @ the Speed of Thought," "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," and "How to Prevent the Next Pandemic."

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