Bill Gates is by far the biggest, household name in the computer industry as chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation, the world's leading provider of personal computer software.

In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University where, as a freshman, he developed the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer, the MITS Altair.

Gates dropped out of Harvard his junior year to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the PC would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers.

Gates' vision regarding personal computers has been the core Microsoft’s success and the software industry as well. Gates is still actively involved in Microsoft’s key management and strategic decisions, and still plays an important role in the company’s new product development.

Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft's mission has been to advance and improve software technology and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view, and is always re-investing in research.

Gates is also interested in biotechnology. He sits on the board of the Icos Corporation and is a shareholder in Darwin Molecular, a subsidiary of British-based Chiroscience. Gates also founded Corbis Corporation, which is developing a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography from collections all over the world, both private and public.

Gates and his wife, Melinda, have endowed a foundation with more than $17 billion to support philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning. To date, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated more than $300 million to organizations working in global health. They have also donated the same amount to improve learning opportunities, including the Gates Library Initiative, with the goal of bringing computers, Internet access and computer training to public libraries in low-income communities in the US and Canada.