William H. Gates III was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, where he developed an early interest in computers and computer science. Gates was very apt with computers and began his first computer company (with a fellow classmate, Allen) while still in high school.
In 1973, Gates began his studies at Harvard University. In 1975, however, after reading an article on computer software, he decided to drop out and pursue a career in computer software design with Allen. Soon after, Gates and Allen cofounded Microsoft. One of Gate’s greatest opportunities came when he was offered to work for IBM in developing a personal computer project, which he turned into the Microsoft Disk Operating System, or MS-DOS. His system was so successful that not only did it sell to IBM, but he was able to convince the company to allow others to write software for the machine – creating thousands of licenses for MS-DOS. By the early 1990’s, Microsoft had sold more than one hundred million copies of MS-DOS, making it the leader in software sales.
Since then, Gates (and company)have develop Microsoft software further with Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, a diverse range of computer gaming systems, consumer electronics, digital service marketing systems such as MSN, Zune, and Windows Phone, and most recently, Skype Communications.
Today, Gates is known to be one of the most successful businessmen and software developers in the country. He is known for his hardworking nature and competitive drive – all of which have contributed in making him the richest man in America.
