Who has not heard of Microsoft Corporation? It is a name that has revolutionized business and just about every aspect of our lives that many believe Bill Gates, co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Software Architect of the world’s biggest software firm to be the greatest business leader of this generation.
Although this claim may be refuted by many, there is no denying the fact that Bill Gates is a fixture that simply cannot be erased in the history of international business.
Bill Gates – You Either Love Him or Hate Him
Bill Gates’ story is not a ‘rags to riches’ fairytale. Instead, it is a great example of what one can do with the talents that he has within him. Gates was born to affluent parents and showed excellence in school.
At an early age, he already displayed his expertise in the fields of math and science. It is safe to say that Gates breezed through his primary education and in 1973, he enrolled in Harvard University to pursue a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science degree. It is at Harvard where he met Steve Ballmer, his future business partner.
At Harvard, Gates, together with Paul Allen and Monte Davidoff, co-wrote Altair BASIC for the Altair 8800. After this, Gates dropped out of Harvard to pursue a career in software development instead.
In 1975, Gates called Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) to inform them that his group has developed a version of the programming language BASIC for their new microcomputer’s platform.
Although this was not true, Gates and Allen were able to come up with the said version after only eight weeks and MITS ended up buying the rights for the said programming language! This clearly shows Gates confidence in himself and his ability. At this point, Gates and Allen left Harvard to establish Micro-Soft (later changed to Microsoft Corporation) and the rest as they say is history.
As a business leader, many find themselves having to decide whether Gates has been ‘ethical’ in his business practices or not. Why?
The growth of Microsoft is largely due to the fact that Gates ensured that most computers that shipped out came with Microsoft software pre-installed, thereby ‘killing’ any desire by consumers to purchase any other type of software.
Due to this, Gates Microsoft has also been the subject of various antitrust litigations over the years. So what do you think? Is Gates the greatest business leader of our time or just a very conniving one? Whatever one thinks, one thing is for sure, the name Bill Gates will continue to resonate in the field of business.
The Bill Gates Quick Bio
- Full name: William Henry Gates III
- Birth date: October 28, 1955
- Birth place: Seattle, Washington
- Key success traits: self-confidence, an undeniable risk-taker, a man of action
- Company: Microsoft Corporation
- Industry: Computers & Electronics
Additional:
- As of April 2006, Bill Gates is STILL the richest person in the world with a net worth of approximately US$51 billion.
- Co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable institution, which to date has donated billions of dollars to help eradicate illiteracy, poverty and diseases.
