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William Henry Gates III is a technologist, business leader, and philanthropist who co-founded Microsoft.

Born in October 1955, he grew up in  Seattle, Washington, with his two sisters. His father, William H. Gates Sr., was an attorney in Seattle and his mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher.

From a young age, Gates was a great student who had always had an interest in computers. In fact, he was just 13-years-old when he wrote his first software program whilst still in secondary school.

At 17, he went to Harvard to study law, but dropped out two years later.

It was in 1975 when Bill and his childhood friend, Paul Allen, founded Microsoft, a company which would go on to revolutionise the world of technology.

Thanks to Microsoft, Bill Gates held the title of the world’s richest man for many years.

In 2000, he founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with his now ex-wife, Melinda. The main aims of the foundation is to reduce poverty, improve healthcare and invest in education.

In May 2021, Bill and Melinda each announced on the social media platform Twitter, that they were ending their 27-year marriage.

Today, Bill co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where he works to give his wealth back to society.

To find out more about the man who is considered to have one of the most revolutionary minds of his generation - watch Yahoo UK’s explainer video.