Well known for his massive involvement in the establishment of Microsoft, the successful American entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist whose full and original name is William Henry Gates III was born on the 28th of October in the year 1955, in Seattle, Washington.
William Henry Gates III widely known as Bill Gates was once named the richest individual in the world at some points in time but had recently not made it to the top ten since October 2024 due to turn in fortune as probably related to the divorce issue he had with his wife.
Career
The career journey for Bill Gates started off in 1975 when he left school to jointly lead and establish Microsoft; of which he was the Chief Executive Officer for 25 years as well as being the board president and chairman as the company got incorporated in 1981.
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In 2000, he changed his role to chief software architect and stepped down as the CEO for Steve Ballmer and carry on his new role till 2008.
He also stepped down as the board chairman in 2014 and later became the technology adviser to CEO and other Microsoft leaders. He also resigned from the board in 2020.
He’s also the owner and chairman of various other companies like Gates Ventures, BEN, TerraPower, Breakthrough Energy and Cascade Investment.
Besides, he also jointly founded the ‘Giving Pledge’ alongside Warren Buffett in 2010 where both of them and other billionaires promised themselves to give out a portion of their wealth in an act of philanthropism.
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Another of his notable philanthropic work is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (which is arguably the largest private charitable organization in the world).
Alongside his wife, they jointly ran this project from year 2000 to year 2024 when his wife (Melinda French Gates) stepped down as co-chair following their divorce.
In 1999, Time magazine named him as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
In 2016, he also received a Presidential Medal of Freedom alongside his wife French Gate for their act of philanthropism, alongside other numerous awards and honors.
Personal Life
William Henry Gates III widely known as Bill Gates was born and brought up in Seattle, Washington.
He’s the only son of William Henry Gates II (father) and Mary Maxwell Gates (mother).
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He’s of English, German, and Irish/Scots-Irish origin and a born Christian.
He graduated from Lakeside School and got into Harvard University in 1973 and studied Math 55 and graduate level computer science courses but had to drop out after two years.
He met fellow Microsoft colleague (Steve Ballmer) at Harvard university although Ballmer in his own disposition stayed put and graduated at the University.
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At a trade fair in New York, he met his wife Melinda French in 1987 and they got engaged in 1993 after six years together. They married on January 1st, 1994 and the union produced three children (two daughters and a son).
However, they both publicly declared to divorce on May 3, 2021 after over 27 years of their union and the divorce was finalized on the 2nd of August, 2021 but the financial details remained undisclosed.
Almost two years later, Gates asserted dating Paula Hurd (widow of former Oracle Corporation and Hewlett-Packard chief executive Mark Hurd) around February 2023 and described her as a “serious girlfriend”. He also has elder and younger siblings named Kristianne and Libby respectively.
Sources of Wealth
The major sources of income for William Henry Gates III include; Microsoft, Gates Ventures, BEN, TerraPower, Breakthrough Energy and Cascade Investment.
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He also earns from his stake in companies like Deere & Co., Ecolab and Republic Services.
Estimated Net Worth
As at 2025, William Henry Gates III is still among the top 20 richest individual in the world according to Forbes. This multi billionaire’s net worth is estimated to around 104 billion dollars.
Conclusion
In spite of his significant donations over the years, he’s still one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, thanks to his ever growing investment portfolio.
