One can hardly think of computers today without thinking of William H. Gates or Bill Gates as the world knows him. Born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle on the west coast of United States of America. Bill Gates was a brilliant child. He did not care much about his clothes and his untidy appearance was a source of worry for his mother. As a child, Gates had a dream, “A computer on every desk and in every home Microsoft on every computer”.

To realize his dream, Bill Gates joined the Harvard University, the most prestigious education institution in the U.S.A. in 1973. He floated Microsoft Company in 1975. Before starting Microsoft he along with his friend Paul Allen developed the language BASIC which created a sensation in the computer world. As Microsoft needed his full time attention, Gates dropped out of Harvard University in 1977.

Gates made an attempt to assemble computers too. But he soon found that hardware is not his cup of tea. So he decided to concentrate on software and tied up with leading companies like IBM. It was this tie-up with IBM that led to the development of MS-DOS or Microsoft Disk Operating System, a revolutionary development in the field of computers. With competition hotting up from other software companies like Lotus, Gates launched Microsoft Word and followed it up with Windows. After having tasted the challenge from Lotus, Gates has always tried to be one step ahead of other software companies.

Gates works at a fanatical pace and he expects the same from his employees. At the time of starting Microsoft, he never used to sleep for days. Even now, his average working week comprises 65 hours. The pace at Microsoft had its causalities to with one of the senior programmers suffering from a heart failure. Remarked a senior executive of the company, “I saw kids, you know who worked at Microsoft for a few years and truly, I wondered if they would ever be able to work again”.

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Gates is now regarded as the richest man in the world. Like all successful business people, he too ignored his private life. His girlfriend testifies that his work was of most importance to him. For Gates Microsoft and its success mattered most and not money, food, possessions, clothes or pleasure.

On January 1, 1994, Gates married one of his employees, Melinda French. The sacrifices that he made and the dedication that he gave to his vision and his ability that still keep him as the leader in his field. Being number one in one’s field exposes one to criticism too. As Gates said, “I have developed a view that being successful is not a fun thing sometimes. There is just a phenomenon where people do not like a company as successful as ours”.