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{{otherpeople}}
{{Infobox Person
| name = William Henry Gates III
| image = Bill Gates in Poland cropped.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|10|28}}
| birth_place = ], ], ]
| occupation = ], ]<br>Co-Chair, ]
| networth = US$59 billion (2007)<ref name=59billion/>
| spouse = ] (1994-present)
| children = Three
| website = <br>
| footnotes =
}}
'''William Henry Gates III'''<!-- not "KBE" --> (born ] ])<ref>{{cite web | title=Bill Gates: Chairman, Microsoft Corp | url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/bio.mspx | publisher=Microsoft Corporation | date=30 July 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref> is an ] ], ] ], ] and <!-- still -->] of ], the software company he founded with ]. During his career at Microsoft he has held the positions of ] and ], and he remains the largest individual shareholder with more than 9 percent of the ].<ref>{{cite web | title=Microsoft 2007 Proxy Statement | url=http://www.microsoft.com/msft/reports/proxy2007.mspx | publisher=Microsoft Corporation | date=28 September 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref>

Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the ] revolution. Although he is admired by many,<ref>{{cite news|
author=Staff writer|
title=Vietnam gives Gates star welcome|
date=2006-04-22|
work=BBC News|
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4933290.stm|
accessdate = 2006-11-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|
last=Lam|
first=Andrew|
title=The fall and rise of Saigon: Vietnamese consumers make up for lost time|
date=2005-04-24|
work=]|
url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/04/24/INGK5CC63P.DTL|
accessdate = 2007-06-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|
last=Baldauf|
first=Scott|
title=Gates, the biggest thing in India since the Beatles|
date=2002-11-14|
work=]|
url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1114/p07s02-wosc.html|
accessdate = 2006-11-19}}</ref>
a large number of industry insiders criticise his business tactics, which they consider anti-competitive, and has in some cases been upheld by the courts.<ref>{{cite journal|
last=Shenk|
first=David|
title=Slamming Gates|
journal=The New Republic|
date=1998-01-26|
url=http://davidshenk.com/webimages/THENEWREPUBLIC.PDF|
accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref><ref>Findings of Fact. ''United States v. Microsoft'' (1998)</ref> Other court cases on the same charges, in different jurisdictions, are still ongoing.
In the later stages of his career, Gates has pursued a number of ] endeavors, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the ], established in 2000.

The annual '']'' magazine's list of ] has ranked Gates as the richest person in the world from 1995 to 2007, with recent estimates of his net worth over ]59 billion.<ref name=59billion>{{cite news | title=#1 William Gates III | work=The Forbes 400 | publisher=Forbes | url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/54/richlist07_William-Gates-III_BH69.html | date=20 September 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref> When family wealth is considered, ] ranks second behind the ], heirs of ] founder ]. In July 2007, '']'' magazine reported that the increase in value of Mexican billionaire ]'s holdings of stock caused him to surpass Bill Gates as the world's richest man.<ref>{{cite news|
title=Mexican tycoon overtakes Bill Gates as world's richest man|
url=http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2117330,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=24|
first=Fiona |last=Walsh|
date=2007-07-03|
publisher=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|
title=Latin America stocks surge anew, lift Carlos Slim also|
url=http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN0655656120070707|
first=Herbert|last=Lash|
date=2007-07-07|
publisher=Reuters}}</ref> ''Forbes'' maintains that Slim is second to Gates as of its last calculation of billionaire fortunes. Forbes will recalculate Slim's wealth in 2008.<ref>{{cite news | first=Chris | last=Aspin | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0247043920070803?feedType=RSS | title=I don't care if I'm richest in world... | publisher=Reuters | date=August 3, 2007 | accessdate=2007-08-11}}</ref>

==Early life==
William Henry Gates III was born in ], ], to ] and ]. His family was wealthy; his father was a prominent lawyer, his mother served on the board of directors for First Interstate Bank and the ], and her father, J. W. Maxwell, was a ] president. Gates has one older sister, Kristi (Kristianne), and one younger sister, Libby. He was the fourth of his name in his family, but was known as William Gates III or "]" because his father had dropped his own "III" suffix.<ref name="gatesmogul">{{cite book|
title =Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself The Richest Man in America|
isbn = 978-0-385-42075-7|
year =1993|
publisher =Touchstone|
last=Manes|
first=Stephen|
coauthors=and Paul Andrews}}</ref> Several writers claim that Maxwell set up a million-dollar ] for Gates.<ref name="harddrive">{{cite book|
title =Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire|
isbn = 978-0-471-56886-5|
year =1993|
publisher =John Wiley & Sons|
last=Wallace|
first=James|
coauthors=and Jim Erickson}}</ref>
A 1993 biographer who interviewed both Gates and his parents (among other sources) found no evidence of this and dismissed it as one of the "fictions" surrounding Gates's fortune.<ref name="gatesmogul"/> Gates denied the trust fund story in a 1994 interview,<ref name="playboy">{{cite interview | subject=Bill Gates | interviewer=Playboy | title=The Bill Gates Interview | type=Interview | url=http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Bill.Gates.html | program=''Playboy'' Enterprises Inc.| date=08 December 1994 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> and indirectly in his 1995 book ''The Road Ahead''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Stross | first=Randall E. | year=1997| title=The Microsoft Way | publisher=Perseus Books Group | isbn= 9780201327977 }}</ref>

Gates excelled in elementary school, particularly in ] and the ]s. At thirteen he enrolled in the ], Seattle's most exclusive preparatory school. When he was in the eighth grade, the school mothers used proceeds from Lakeside's ] to buy an ] ] ] and a block of computer time on a ] computer.<ref name="gatesmogul"/> Gates took an interest in programming the GE system in ] and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest. After the Mothers Club donation was exhausted he and other students sought time on other systems, including ] ] ]s. One of these systems was a ] belonging to Computer Center Corporation, which banned the Lakeside students for the summer after it caught them exploiting bugs in the ] to obtain free computer time.

At the end of the ban, the Lakeside students, Gates, ], ], and Kent Evans, offered to debug CCC's software in exchange for free computer time. Rather than use the system via teletype, Gates went to CCC's offices and studied ] for various programs that ran on the system, not only in BASIC but ], ], and ] as well. The arrangement with CCC continued until 1970, when it went out of business. The following year Information Sciences Inc. hired the Lakeside students to write a ] program in ], providing them not only computer time but ] as well. At age 14, Gates also formed a venture with Allen, called ], to make ]s based on the ] processor. That first year he made US$20,000; however, when his age was discovered, business slowed.<ref>{{Cite interview | subject=Bill Gates | interviewer=David Allison | city=Bellevue, WA | year=1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Chposky | first=James | coauthors=Leonsis, Ted | year=1989 | title=Blue Magic: The People, the Power and the Politics Behind the IBM Personal Computer | publisher=Grafton | isbn=9780246134453}}</ref>

As a youth, Gates was active in the ] where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. Gates stated that he scored 1590 on his ]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://theweekmagazine.com/article.aspx?id=803 | title=The new—and improved?—SAT | accessdate = 2006-05-23 | publisher=The Week Magazine}}</ref>
He enrolled at ] in the fall of 1973 intending to get a ] degree,<ref>{{cite web | author=ohn Mirick | title=William H. Gates: Before Microsoft | url=http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Gates.Mirick.html#business | publisher=National Science Foundation | date=29 September 1996 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> but did not have a definite study plan and eventually left without his degree.<ref name=larryking>{{cite interview | subject=Bill Gates | interviewer=Larry King |
program=Larry King Live | title=Millennium 2000: Bill Gates Discusses Microsoft, Philanthropy and the Future of Computers | callsign=CNN | date=2000-01-01|
city=Redmond, WA | url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0001/01/lklw.00.html | accessdate=2008-02-19}}</ref> While at Harvard, he met his future ] partner, ], whom he later appointed as CEO of Microsoft. At the same time, he co-authored and published a paper on algorithms with computer scientist ].<ref name=gatespapadimitriou>{{cite journal | last=Gates | first=William | coauthors=Papadimitriou, Christos | year=1979 | title=Bounds for sorting by prefix reversal | journal=Discrete Math | volume=27 | pages=47-57}}</ref>

==Microsoft==
{{main|Microsoft}}
===BASIC===
After reading the January 1975 issue of '']'' that demonstrated the ], Gates contacted ] (MITS), the creators of the new microcomputer, to inform them that he and others were working on a ] interpreter for the platform.<ref name="keyevents">{{cite paper | title=Microsoft Visitor Center Student Information: Key Events in Microsoft History | url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/3/0/130dd86a-a196-4700-b577-521c4cf5cec1/key_events_in_microsoft_history.doc | publisher=Microsoft | format=.DOC accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> In reality, Gates and Allen did not have an Altair and had not written code for it; they merely wanted to gauge MITS's interest. MITS president ] agreed to meet them for a demo, and over the course of a few weeks they developed an Altair ] that ran on a minicomputer, and then the BASIC interpreter. The demonstration, held at MITS's offices in Albuquerque, was a success and resulted in a deal with MITS to distribute the interpreter as ]. Paul Allen was hired into MITS,<ref name=thocp1>
{{cite web
| title=Microsoft history at the History of Computing Project
| url=http://www.thocp.net/companies/microsoft/microsoft_company.htm
| accessmonthday = August 11 | accessyear=2005 }}
</ref>
and Gates took a ] from Harvard to work with Allen at MITS, dubbing their ] "Micro-soft" in November 1975.<ref name=thocp1/> Within a year, the hyphen was dropped, and on ], ], the tradename "Microsoft" was registered with the ].<ref name=thocp1/>

]'s BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February 1976, Gates wrote an ] in the MITS newsletter saying that MITS could not continue to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software without payment.<ref>], ]]</ref> This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that software developers should be able to demand payment. Microsoft became independent of MITS in late 1976, and it continued to develop programming language software for various systems.

During Microsoft's early years, all employees had broad responsibility for the company's business. Gates oversaw the business details, but continued to write code as well. In the first five years, he personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped, and often rewrote parts of it as he saw fit.<ref name="waterloo">{{cite speech|
url=http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/speeches/2005/10-13Waterloo.aspx|
last=Gates|
first=Bill|
title=Remarks by Bill Gates|
date=2005-10-13|
location=Waterloo, Ontario|
accessdate = 2006-12-11}}</ref>

===IBM partnership===
In 1980 ] approached Microsoft to make the BASIC interpreter for its upcoming personal computer, the ]. When IBM's representatives mentioned that they needed an ], Gates referred them to ] (DRI), makers of the widely used ] operating system.<ref>{{cite web|
url=http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/1223/258_print.html|
title=Pioneers Die Broke|publisher=Forbes|
author=John Steele Gordon Michael Maiello|
date=]|
accessdate = 2006-07-05}}</ref>
IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly, and they did not reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told him to get an acceptable operating system. A few weeks later Gates proposed using ] (QDOS), an operating system similar to CP/M and which ] of ] had made for hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal with SCP to become the exclusive licensing agent, and later the full owner, of 86-DOS. After adapting the operating system for the PC, Microsoft delivered it to IBM as ] in exchange for a one-time fee<ref>{{cite web|
url=http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/MSDOS-PCDOS.htm|
title=MS DOS and PC DOS|
work=Lexikon's History of Computing|
accessdate = 2006-07-05}}</ref>
Gates insisted that IBM let Microsoft keep the ] on the operating system, because he believed that other hardware vendors would clone IBM's system.<ref name="usnews">{{cite journal|
author=Staff writer|
date=2001-08-20|
title=Interview with Bill Gates|
journal=U.S. News & World Report|
url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/gatesivu.htm|
accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref>
They did, and the sales of MS-DOS made Microsoft a major player in the industry.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/r0603/09r03/09r03.asp|title=Microsoft to Microsoft disk operating system (MS-DOS)|publisher=Smart Computing|date=March 2002|accessdate = 2006-07-05}}</ref>

===Strategy and management===
], ]]]
From Microsoft's founding in 1975 until 2006, Gates had primary responsibility for Microsoft's product strategy. He aggressively broadened the company's range of products, and wherever Microsoft achieved a dominant position he vigorously defended it. Many decisions that led to ] litigation over Microsoft's ] have had Gates' approval. In the 1998 '']'' case, Gates gave deposition testimony that several journalists characterized as evasive. He argued with examiner ] over the definitions of words such as: ''compete'', ''concerned'', ''ask'', and ''we''.<ref>], ]]</ref> ''BusinessWeek'' reported:
{{quotation|Early rounds of his deposition show him offering obfuscatory answers and saying 'I don't recall' so many times that even the presiding judge had to chuckle. Worse, many of the technology chief's denials and pleas of ignorance were directly refuted by prosecutors with snippets of e-mail Gates both sent and received.<ref></ref>}}

Gates later said that he had simply resisted attempts by Boies to mischaracterize his words and actions. As to his demeanor during the deposition, he said, "Whatever that penalty is should be levied against me: rudeness to Boies in the first degree."<ref>{{cite journal|
last=Heilemann|
first=John|
title=The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But The Truth|
date=2000-11|
journal=Wired|
url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.11/microsoft_pr.html|
accessdate = 2006-12-11}}</ref>
Despite Gates' denials, the judge ruled that Microsoft had committed monopolization and tying, blocking competition, in violation of the ].

As an executive, Gates met regularly with Microsoft's senior managers and program managers. Most firsthand accounts of these meetings portray him as hostile, berating managers for perceived holes in their business strategies or their proposals which place the company's long-term interests at risk.<ref name="playboy"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/steve/churchillclub.mspx | title=Steve Ballmer Speech Transcript - Church Hill Club | first=Steve|last=Ballmer | date=], ] | publisher=Microsoft | work=Microsoft PressPass | accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | first=Michael|last=Drummond | title=Renegades of the Empire | year=1999 | publisher=Crown | isbn=978-0-609-60416-8}}</ref> He has been described shouting at length at employees before letting them continue, with such remarks as, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"<ref name="time GOS">{{cite web | url=http://www.time.com/time/gates/gates5.html | first=Walter | last=Isaacson | title=The Gates Operating System | publisher=Time | date=13 January 1997 | accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref> and, "Why don't you just give up your options and join the ]?"<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.breakingwindows.net/1link3.htm | title=Breaking Windows | publisher=Wall Street Journal | author=David Bank|date=1 February 1999 | accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref> However, he was also known to back down when the targets of his outbursts responded frankly and directly.<ref name="time GOS" /> When subordinates appeared to be procrastinating, he was known to quip, "Do you want me to do it over the weekend?"<ref name="pdc97">{{cite speech | url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/1997/pdc.aspx | first=Bill | last=Gates | title=Remarks by Bill Gates | location=San Diego, CA | date=26 September 1997 | accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | first=Robert J. | last=Herbold | date=2002-01-01 | title=Inside Microsoft: Balancing Creativity and Discipline | url=http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/2865.html | journal=Harvard Business Review | accessdate=2006-05-16}}</ref>

In 2004, Gates told a group of 1,000 people gathered at the ], that "We want to take everything that the programmer knows, and express those in as high a level as we can." Gates foresaw machine learning applied to the diagnosis of problems "in a system". "Machine learning techniques can build a model and then use it to see if things are unusual" and that this field of science "can block the abnormal components, preserving the system's integrity and security". "We can already beat the fastest typists of Chinese with a Chinese speech recognition system". Gates also announced a solution to email ] that week, saying that for example, according to the MIT newspaper, "If mail comes in from what the spam filter thinks is a stranger, some type of proof is required."<ref>{{cite journal | author=Daher, Waseem S. | title=Gates Speaks on Spam, Searching, Jobs | url=http://www-tech.mit.edu/V124/N8/018gates.8n.html | date=27 February 2004 | work=The Tech | volume=124 | issue=8 | publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology | accessdate=2007-12-18}}</ref>

Gates' role at Microsoft for most of its history was primarily a management and executive role. However, he was an active software developer in the early years, particularly on the company's ] products. He has not officially been on a development team since working on the ], but he wrote code as late as 1989 that shipped in the company's products.<ref name="pdc97"/> On ], ], Gates announced that he would transition out of his day-to-day role over the next two years to dedicate more time to philanthropy. He divided his responsibilities between two successors, placing ] in charge of day-to-day management and ] in charge of long-term product strategy.<ref name=mscorpnews>{{cite news | url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jun06/06-15CorpNewsPR.mspx | title=Microsoft Announces Plans for July 2008 Transition for Bill Gates | publisher=Microsoft PressPass
|author=Microsoft PressPass |date=15 June 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|
first=Ina|last=Fried| title=Ozzie, Mundie pick up tech mantle at Microsoft | work=CNET News.com | date=2006-06-16 |
url=http://news.com.com/Ozzie,+Mundie+pick+up+tech+mantle+at+Microsoft/2008-1014_3-6084765.html|
accessdate=2007-02-17}}</ref> One of his last initiatives before announcing his departure was the creation of a ] software group at Microsoft.

==Personal life==
]ian President ] in ]. ], ] ]]
Gates married ] from ], ] on ], ]. They have three children: Jennifer Katharine Gates (1996), Rory John Gates (1999) and Phoebe Adele Gates (2002).
] is a 21st century ] in the side of a hill overlooking ] in ], ]. According to ] public records, as of 2006, the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is US$125 million, and the annual property tax is US$991,000. Also among Gates' private acquisitions is the ], a collection of writings by ], which Gates bought for USD US$30.8 million at an auction in 1994.<ref></ref>

Gates' e-mail address has been widely publicized, and he received as many as 4,000,000 e-mails in 2004, most of which were ].<ref>{{cite news|
first=Mike|last=Wendland|
title=Ballmer checks out my spam problem|
date=2004-12-02|
work=Detroit Free Press|
url=http://www.acme.com/mail_filtering/article_2.html|
accessdate=2007-07-13}}</ref> He has said that much of this junk mail "offers to help get out of debt or get rich quick", which "would be funny if it weren't so irritating".<ref>{{cite news|
last=Gates|
first=Bill|
date=2003-06-23|
title=Why I Hate Spam|
work=Wall Street Journal|
url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ofnote/06-23wsjspam.mspx|
accessdate = 2006-11-19}}</ref>

===Wealth and investments===
]}} stands with Gates at the {{nowrap|'']''}} launch.]]Gates has been number one on the "]" list from 1993 through to 2007 and number one on ''Forbes'' list of "]" from 1995 to 2007 with 58 billion U.S. dollars. In 1999, Gates's wealth briefly surpassed US$101 billion causing him to be referred to in the media as a "centibillionaire".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.financeadvisor.com.au/economics/centibillionaire/9784/
|title=Centibillionaire|publisher=Finance Advisor}}</ref><ref name="centibillionaire">{{cite web|url=http://lycos.ca/money/bill-gates.html|title=Bill Gates - Founder of Microsoft|publisher=Lycos Canada Money}}</ref> Since 2000, the nominal value of his Microsoft holdings has declined due to a fall in Microsoft's stock price after the ] and the multi-billion dollar donations he has made to his charitable foundations. In May 2006, Gates said in an interview that he wished that he were not the richest man in the world, stating that he disliked the attention it brought.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bolger|first=Joe|date=2006-05-05|title=I wish I wasn't the richest man in the world, says Bill Gates|work=]|url=http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19509-2166075,00.html|accessdate = 2006-11-19}}</ref> A July 3, 2007 report by ] financial journalist Eduardo Garcia indicated that Gates' position as the wealthiest person in the world has in fact been usurped by ] magnate ].<ref>{{cite news | title=Mexican tycoon overtakes Bill Gates as world's richest man | url=http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2117330,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=24 | first=Fiona | last=Walsh | date=2007-07-03 | publisher=The Guardian}}</ref>

Gates has several investments outside Microsoft, which in 2006 paid him a salary of salary US$616,667, and US$350,000 bonus totalling US$966,667.<ref>{{cite web | title=Microsoft 2006 Proxy Statement | url=http://www.microsoft.com/msft/reports/proxy2006.mspx | publisher=Microsoft Corporation | date=06 October 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref> He founded ], a digital imaging company, in 1989. In 2004 he became a ] of ], the investment company headed by longtime friend ].<ref>{{cite news | last=Fried | first=Ina | date=2004-12-14 | title=Gates joins board of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway | url=http://news.com.com/Gates+joins+board+of+Buffetts+Berkshire+Hathaway/2100-1014_3-5491312.html | work=CNET News.com | accessdate=2006-11-19}}</ref> He is a client of Cascade Investment Group, a ] firm with diverse holdings.

===Philanthropy===
In 2000, Gates and his wife founded the charitable ]. The generosity and extensive philanthropy of ] has been credited as a major influence. Gates and his father have met with Rockefeller several times and have modeled their giving in part on the ]'s philanthropic focus, namely those global problems that are ignored by governments and other organizations.<ref>{{cite paper | author= | title=2005 Annual Report | format=.PDF | publisher=Rockefeller Brothers Fund | url=http://www.rbf.org/usr_doc/2005_Annual_Review.pdf | date=2006 | accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref>

The foundation's grants have provided funds for college ] for under-represented minorities, ] prevention, diseases prevalent in ] countries, and other causes. In 2000, the Gates Foundation endowed the ] with US$210 million for the ]. The Foundation has also pledged over US$7 billion to its various causes, including US$1 billion to the ]. According to a 2004 ''Forbes'' magazine article, Gates gave away over US$29 billion to charities from 2000 onwards. These donations are usually cited as sparking a substantial change in attitudes towards ] among the very rich, with philanthropy becoming the norm.<ref>A ], ] survey of ] by ''The Economist'' noted, "The media, which used to take little notice of charitable donations, now eagerly rank the super-rich by their munificence..."</ref>

===Transition===
On ], ], Gates announced that he would move to a part-time role within Microsoft, leaving day-to-day operations management in July 2008 to begin a full-time career in ], but would remain as ].<ref name=mscorpnews/> Gates credited ] with influencing his decision to commit himself to charitable causes.<ref>{{cite news | title=Warren Buffett Gives Away his Fortune | url=http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/25/magazines/fortune/charity1.fortune/index.htm | work=Fortune | date=2006-06-25 | author=Carol J. Loomis | accessdate=2006-12-09}}</ref> Days later, Buffett announced that he would begin matching Gates' contributions to the Gates Foundation, up to US$1.5 billion per year in stock.<ref>{{cite episode | credits=Robert Smith | title=Buffett Gift Sends US$31 Billion to Gates Foundation | url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5512893 | series=All Things Considered | network=National Public Radio | airdate=2006-06-26 | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> On June 25, 2006, Gates presented a copy of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations to Warren Buffet after Buffet's announcement.

On January 24, 2008 Gates said the following at the world economic forum in Davos Switzerland "Adam Smith, the very father of capitalism and the author of “Wealth of Nations,” who believed strongly in the value of self-interest for society, opened his first book with the following lines: "How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortunes of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it."<ref name=davos>{{cite interview | subject=Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation | interviewer=Klaus Schwab | type=Speech, and interview | title=A New Approach to Capitalism in the 21st century | url=http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/exec/billg/speeches/2008/01-24WEFDavos.mspx | format=Transcript | location=Davos, Switzerland | date=24 January 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref>

Gates spoke about a "creative" rather than an "unfettered" or ''laissez faire'' capitalism. "Creative capitalism takes this interest in the fortunes of others and ties it to our interest in our own fortunes in ways that help advance both. This hybrid engine of self-interest and concern for others can serve a much wider circle of people than can be reached by self-interest or caring alone."<ref name=davos/>

==Awards and recognition==
'']'' magazine named Gates one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century, as well as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, and 2006. ''Time'' also collectively named Gates, his wife ] and ]'s lead singer ] as the 2005 ] for their humanitarian efforts. In 2006, he was voted eighth in the list of "Heroes of our time".<ref>{{cite news | author=Jason Cowley | title=Heroes of our time - the top 50 | url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200605220016 | work=New Statesman | date=22 May 2006 | accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref> Gates was listed in the '']'' power list in 1999, named CEO of the year by ''Chief Executive Officers magazine'' in 1994, ranked number one in the "Top 50 Cyber Elite" by ''Time'' in 1998, ranked number two in the '']'' Elite 100 in 1999 and was included in '']'' as one of the "Top 100 influential people in media" in 2001.

Gates has received several ] from several institutions including; ], ], ] in 2000,<ref>{{cite press release | title=''Eredoctoraat Universiteit Nyenrode voor Wim Kok'' | url=http://www.nyenrode.nl/news/news_full.cfm?publication_id=599 | publisher=Nyenrode Business Universiteit | date=13 August 2003 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> the ], ], ] in 2002, ], ], ] in 2005, ] in June 2007,<ref>{{cite news | author=Gina Hughes | title=Bill Gates Gets Degree After 30 Years | url=http://p7.tech.mud.yahoo.com/blogs/hughes/13653 | work=Yahoo! Tech | date=8 Jun 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite video | people=Bill Gates | title=Harvard Commencement 2007 Afternoon Exercises | url=http://video2.harvard.edu:8080/ramgen/pluto/Commencement2007PMArchive.rm | medium=Video | format=.MP3 | location=Cambridge, Massachusetts | publisher=Harvard University | time=01:50:20 - 02:18:45 | date=7 Jun 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> and from ], Stockholm, in January 2008.<ref>{{cite web | author=Madeleine Svärd; Amina Manzoor | title=Bill Gates honoured with a doctor's cap | url=http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=130&a=47838&l=en&newsdep=130 | publisher=Karolinska Institutet | date=24 January 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> Gates was also made an ] (]hood) from ] of the ] in 2005,<ref>{{cite news | author=Staff writers | title=Knighthood for Microsoft's Gates | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3428673.stm | work=BBC News | date=2 March 2005 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> in addition to having ] name the Bill Gates flower fly, '']'', in his honor.<ref>{{cite web | author=F. Christian Thompson; Jennifer E. Fairman | title=Bill Gates' Flower Fly ''Eristalis gatesi'' Thompson | url=http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/Diptera/syrphid/gates.htm | work=The Diptera Site | date=19 August 1999 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref>

Gates delivered the keynote address at the Fall ] in 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1994, and from 1996 to 2003.

The Gates' received the ] for International Cooperation on ], ], in recognition of their world impact through charity giving.<ref>, Retrieved ], ]</ref> In November 2006, he and his wife were awarded the ] for their philanthropic work around the world in the areas of health and education, particularly in Mexico, and specifically in the program "''Un país de lectores"''.<ref>http://diariooficial.segob.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=4936346 (Spanish) ], Proclamation of the Award</ref>

==In film==
A 2002 film called '']'' uses a fictional assassination of Gates in ] as the backbone of the plot.<ref>"," '']''</ref> The 2001 thriller '']'' has a character based on Gates. In the 1999 ] '']'', Gates was portrayed by ].{{-}}

==Musical==
Lyricist-librettists Jordan Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner, and composer Hal Goldberg have in development a stage musical with Gates and Steve Jobs as its subject. The work, titled ''Nerds://A Musical Software Satire'', was given a private reading on 30 July 2007.<ref>{{cite news | author=Kenneth Jones | title=Sean Hayes, Gregory Jbara, Chad Kimball, Darren Ritchie Are Nerds in L.A. Test of Musical | url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109825.html | work=Playbill | date=25 July 2007| accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=Bank | first=David | year=2001 | title=Breaking Windows: How Bill Gates Fumbled the Future of Microsoft | publisher=Free Press | isbn=9780743203159}}
* {{cite book | last=Edstrom | first=Jennifer | coauthors=] | year=1998 | title=] | publisher=Henry Holt & Company | isbn=9780805057553}}
* {{cite book | last=Gates | first=Bill | year=1999 | title=] | publisher=Business Plus | isbn=9780446675963}}
* {{cite book | last=Gates | first=Bill | year=1995 | title=] | publisher=Penguin | isbn=9780140260403}}
* {{cite book | last=Lesinski | first=Jeanne M. | year=2000 | title=Bill Gates | publisher=Lerner Publications | isbn=9780822596899}}
* {{cite book | last=Lowe | first=Janet | authorlink=Janet Lowe | year=1998 | title=Bill Gates Speaks: Insight from the World's Greatest Entrepreneur | publisher=] | isbn=9780471293538}}
* {{cite book | last=Manes | first=Stephen | authorlink=Stephen Manes | coauthors=Paul Andrews | year=1993 | title=Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself the Richest Man in America | publisher=Touchstone | isbn=9780671880743}}
* {{cite book | last=Rivlin | first=Gary | year=2000 | title=The Plot to Get Bill Gates |publisher=Three Rivers Press | isbn=9780812990737}}
* {{cite book | last=Wallace | first=James | coauthors=Jim Erickson | year=1993 | title=Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire | publisher=Harper Business | | isbn=9780887306297}}
* {{cite book | last=Wallace | first=James | year=1997 | title=Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace | publisher=] | isbn=9780471180418}}

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Bill Gates}}
*'''Profiles and biographies'''
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**{{imdb name|id=0309540|name=Bill Gates}}

*'''Images'''
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*'''Interviews'''
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**{{google video|-1570088833224980251|Charlie Rose - An hour with Bill Gates}}
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** - The present (1989) and future of the software industry.
** '']'' interviews


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|NAME=Gates, William Henry,III
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Revision as of 21:41, 23 February 2008

Person who did not create the Perry's Alligator Theorem!!!!!