"We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction. "

Mr. Softee Plays with Monopoly Money!

Bill Gates is the founder and chairman of Microsoft Corporation, and one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Gates grew up in a wealthy family; his father was a prominent lawyer and his mother was a teacher. Gates attended Lakeside, an exclusive preparatory school, and was a very good student, excelling particularly in mathematics and the sciences. Gates was a Boy Scout and attained the rank of Life Scout. According to The Week Magazine, Gates scored 1590 on his SAT.

While at Harvard University, Gates co-wrote software for the Altair 8800 computer. During his third year he dropped out to pursue his career in software development.

Microsoft was initially founded in 1975. The early success of the company was based on a computer operating system called MS-DOS, which was not created by Microsoft. Microsoft licensed an OS called QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) from Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products for $56,000. MS-DOS became the foundation of the Microsoft empire as the company licensed the product to IBM and other producers of early personal computers.

By 1986, Gates was a billionaire, and at the start of the new millenium he was thought to be the richest man in the world. In 2004, Forbes magazines estimated his net worth to be about $47 billion. According to many legal and business analysts, that money has come from illegal activities conducted by Microsoft. The U.S. Justice Department convicted Microsoft of monopolistic business practices including antitrust violations and coercive software bundling.

Until 2000 Gates was the CEO of Microsoft. At that time he stepped down from the position to focus his energy on software development, becoming the chief software architect.

According to the Center of Responsive Politics, Gates donated over $33,000 to over 50 political campaigns during the 2004 election cycle; much of this money went to the 2004 presidential campaign of George W. Bush.

In 2004, Gates joined the board of Berkshire Hathaway, which is run by his bridge-playing buddy Warren Buffett. Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate that owns Geico, Benjamin Moore, and Fruit of the Loom. He also serves on the board of Icos.

In 2005, Gates was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

Gates is married to former Microsoft employee Melinda French. They have three children: Jennifer Katharine, Rory John, and Phoebe Adele. He has written two best-sellers: The Road Ahead and Business @ the Speed of Thought.

He and his wife founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is a charitable organization that provides grant funds to minority college students, AIDS research and prevention, and third world diseases. The organization currently provides the majority of the budget for efforts for the eradication of polio, and has donated over $100 million to help children with AIDS.