Bill Gates

“If I'd had some set idea of a finish line, don't you

think I would have crossed it years ago?”

Daniel Lichi

Some accomplishments..

• Gates founded Microsoft at 20 Y/O based on the aspiration of working on what he liked most, programming• He left Harvard to pursue his long-term dream

• By 32 he was the wealthiest man in the US • By 49 Created William Gates Foundation, personally donated more than $28B • Since 2006, Gates stepped down as full time chairman from Microsoft to dedicate his

full time to the foundation.

 Brief biographical sketch

Family• Entrepreneuri

al and supportive family

• Family encouraged competition; reward for winning, penalty for losing

Education• Interest in

programming - excused absence

• Harvard for College - met Steve Ballmer, successor as CEO

• Left Harvard to form Microsoft with childhood friend Paul Allen.

Microsoft• Early years -

all employees had broad responsibility for company's business

• First five years - Gates personally reviewed and rewrote every line of code the company shipped

Personal Life• 1994 married

Melinda French, they have three children

• 1999, wealth briefly surpassed $101 billion, flew coach until private jet

Foundation• Carnegie and

Rockefeller’s example

• 2006, announced transition to part-time work at Microsoft, and full-time at Foundation.

• Second-most generous philanthropists in America, over $28B to charity

• 2014, Gates stepped down as Chairman of Microsoft.

Four circles

Family Self

Work

Community

Lessons learned• Be passionate about what you like and do it, have clear goals

and go for it!

• If you are passionate about it, get others involved and share that passion with your family, community and at work

• Have clear and strong values, communicate them, and live up to them both professionally and personally

• Success is what you want it to be, there is never enough