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| '''William Henry Gates III''' <!-- Please see the FAQ and previous discussions on the article's talk page; The FAQ records a consensus not to include post-nominals here, and WP:POSNOM only says to include them when they are issued by a state or organization "with which the subject has been closely associated" (which does not apply here). --> (born October 28, 1955) is an American [[business magnate]], investor, philanthropist, and writer. He is a co-founder of [[Microsoft]], along with his late childhood friend [[Paul Allen]].{{Sfn|Manes|1994|p=11}}<ref name=":5">{{cite web|title=Bill Gates (American computer programmer, businessman, and philanthropist)|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bill-Gates|access-date=March 20, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328082612/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/226865/Bill-Gates|archive-date=March 28, 2013}}</ref> During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of [[chairman]], [[chief executive officer]] (CEO), [[President (corporate title)|president]] and [[software architect|chief software architect]], while also being the largest individual [[shareholder]] until May 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Foley|first=Mary Jo|date=August 15, 2017|title=Bill Gates' stake in Microsoft is now just 1.3 percent|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/bill-gates-stake-in-microsoft-is-now-just-1-3-percent/|access-date=July 26, 2021|website=ZDNet}}</ref> He was a major entrepreneur of the [[Home computer|microcomputer revolution]] of the 1970s and 1980s.
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| Gates was born and raised in [[Seattle]]. In 1975, he and Allen founded Microsoft in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]]. It became the world's largest [[personal computer]] software company.<ref name="CNN Tech">{{cite web|title=Bill Gates no longer Microsoft's biggest shareholder|url=https://money.cnn.com/2014/05/02/technology/gates-microsoft-stock-sale/|website=CNN Money|access-date=August 22, 2014|last1=Sheridan|first1=Patrick|date=May 2, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820064251/https://money.cnn.com/2014/05/02/technology/gates-microsoft-stock-sale|archive-date=August 20, 2014}}</ref>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Gates regularly documents his share ownership through public U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission [[Form 4]] filings.<ref>{{citation|title=MSFT|url=https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/msft/institutional-holdings|publisher=NASDAQ|type=Holdings|access-date=April 10, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019112613/http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?symbol=MSFT&selected=MSFT&FormType=form4|archive-date=October 19, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=MSFT|publisher=NASDAQ|type=Symbol|url=http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/msft|access-date=April 10, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408230653/http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/msft|archive-date=April 8, 2016}}</ref>}} Gates led the company as chairman and CEO until stepping down as CEO in January 2000, succeeded by [[Steve Ballmer]], but he remained chairman of the board of directors and became chief software architect.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gates steps down as Microsoft CEO|url=https://www.forbes.com/2000/01/13/mu7.html|website=Forbes|date=January 13, 2000|access-date=January 21, 2016|first=David|last=Einstein|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126145821/http://www.forbes.com/2000/01/13/mu7.html|archive-date=January 26, 2016}}</ref> During the late 1990s, he was [[Criticism of Microsoft|criticized for his business tactics]], which have been considered [[Anti-competitive practices|anti-competitive]]. This opinion has been upheld by numerous court rulings.{{Sfnm|1a1=Lesinski|1y=2006|1p=96|2a1=Manes|2y=1994|2p=459}} In June 2008, Gates transitioned to a part-time role at Microsoft and full-time work at the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]], the private charitable foundation he and his then-wife [[Melinda French Gates|Melinda]] established in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Chairman Gates to leave day-to-day role|url=https://money.cnn.com/2006/06/15/technology/microsoft_news/index.htm?iid=EL|website=money.cnn.com|access-date=January 21, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130104313/https://money.cnn.com/2006/06/15/technology/microsoft_news/index.htm?iid=EL|archive-date=January 30, 2016}}</ref> He stepped down as chairman of the board of Microsoft in February 2014 and assumed a new post as technology adviser to support the newly appointed CEO [[Satya Nadella]].<ref name=":2" /> In March 2020, Gates left his board positions at Microsoft and [[Berkshire Hathaway]] to focus on his philanthropic efforts on [[climate change]], [[global health]] and development, and education.<ref name="Haselton">{{cite news |last=Haselton |first=Todd |date=March 13, 2020 |title=Bill Gates leaves Microsoft board |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/bill-gates-leaves-microsoft-board.html |work=[[CNBC]] |access-date=March 13, 2020 }}</ref>
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| Since 1987, Gates has been included in the [[The World's Billionaires|''Forbes'' list of the world's wealthiest people]].<ref name="Why Isn't on 'Forbes' List">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newsweek.com/why-putin-isnt-forbes-billionaires-list-310818|title=Why Putin Isn't on 'Forbes' Billionaires List|magazine=[[Newsweek]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020091119/http://www.newsweek.com/why-putin-isnt-forbes-billionaires-list-310818|archive-date=October 20, 2017}}</ref><ref name="FORBES_The_Next_Bill_Gates">{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/01/19/young-tech-billionaire-gates-google-yahoo-wealth.html|title=The Next Bill Gates|last=Thibault|first=Marie|date=January 19, 2010|work=Forbes|access-date=December 20, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719063548/http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/19/young-tech-billionaire-gates-google-yahoo-wealth.html|archive-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref> From 1995 to 2017, he held the ''[[Forbes]]'' title of the richest person in the world every year except from 2010 to 2013.<ref name="Forbes profile">{{cite web|title=Billionaires #2 Bill Gates|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/?list=billionaires#7e2e8d9c689f|website=Forbes|date=March 5, 2019| access-date=April 5, 2020}}</ref> In October 2017, he was surpassed by [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] founder and CEO [[Jeff Bezos]], who had an estimated net worth of US$90.6 billion compared to Gates's net worth of US$89.9 billion at the time.<ref name="Forbes">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2017/10/27/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-is-the-richest-person-in-the-world-again/|title=Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Is The Richest Person In The World-Again|work=[[Forbes]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311082026/https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2017/10/27/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-is-the-richest-person-in-the-world-again/|archive-date=March 11, 2018}}</ref> As of February 2023, Gates has an estimated net worth of US$113 billion, making him the fourth-richest person in the world.<ref name="Bloomberg">{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/profiles/william-h-gates/ |title=Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Bill Gates |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=February 2, 2023}}</ref>
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| Later in his career and since leaving day-to-day operations at Microsoft in 2008, Gates has pursued many business and philanthropic endeavors. He is the founder and chairman of several companies, including [[Branded Entertainment Network|BEN]], [[Cascade Investment]], [[TerraPower]], [[bgC3]], and [[Breakthrough Energy]]. He has given sizable amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, reported to be the world's largest [[Private foundation|private charity]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/15/bill-gates-charity-donation-microsoft-shares-foundation|title=Bill Gates gives $4.6bn to charity in biggest donation since 2000|last=Neate|first=Rupert|date=August 15, 2017|website=The Guardian |location=London |language=en|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref> Through the foundation, he led an early 21st century [[vaccination]] campaign that significantly contributed to the eradication of the wild [[poliovirus]] in Africa.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Barry|first1=Michele|last2=Oswald|first2=Lucas Oliver|date=September 16, 2020|title=How polio eradication in Africa can inform the global COVID-19 response|url=https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2020/09/16/how-polio-eradication-in-africa-can-inform-the-global-covid-19-response/|access-date=April 20, 2021|website=Scope|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Maclean|first=Ruth|date=August 24, 2020|title=Africa Celebrates the End of the Wild Poliovirus (but Not the End of All Polio)|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/world/africa/polio-africa-eradicated.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824164057/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/world/africa/polio-africa-eradicated.html |archive-date=August 24, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=April 20, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 2010, Gates and [[Warren Buffett]] founded [[The Giving Pledge]], whereby they and other billionaires pledge to give at least half of their wealth to philanthropy.<ref name="Fortune challenge">{{cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2010/06/16/the-600-billion-challenge|title=The $600 billion challenge|website=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]|access-date=April 16, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316165028/http://fortune.com/2010/06/16/the-600-billion-challenge/|archive-date=March 16, 2017}}</ref>
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