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Bill Gates

What is bill gates?

· Emily Grant

Key facts

Full name William Henry Gates III[1]
Born October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington[1]
Co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975[1]
Gates Foundation Co-founded with Melinda French Gates in 2000[3]
Role Businessman, entrepreneur, computer programmer, philanthropist[1]

Bill Gates is an American businessman, computer programmer, and philanthropist who co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, helping launch the microcomputer revolution and later shifting focus to global philanthropy through the Gates Foundation.

Context

Bill Gates is William Henry Gates III, an American businessman, computer programmer, and philanthropist who co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 [1]. He was a pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s [2]. Gates helped build Microsoft into the world's largest personal-computer software company [1]. He and Melinda French Gates co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 [3]. He moved away from day-to-day Microsoft work to focus on philanthropy [1].

Documented claims

  • Bill Gates was a pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. [2]
  • He helped build Microsoft into the world's largest personal-computer software company. [1]
  • He moved away from day-to-day Microsoft work to focus on philanthropy. [1]

Questions and answers

What is Bill Gates famous for?

He is famous for co-founding Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and for his later philanthropy through the Gates Foundation [1].

When was Bill Gates born?

He was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington [1].

What did Bill Gates do after Microsoft?

He shifted his focus to philanthropy, working full-time on the Gates Foundation from 2008 [1].

Sources

  1. Bill Gates | Microsoft Cofounder, Philanthropist, & Author — britannica.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. Bill Gates: Biography, Microsoft Cofounder, Gates Foundation — biography.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. Bill Gates Fast Facts — cnn.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in People