William (Bill) H. Gates is chairman of Microsoft Corporation, the
worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and
businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft had revenues of
US$51.12 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2007, and employs more
than 78,000 people in 105 countries and regions.
On June 15, 2006, Microsoft announced that effective July 2008 Gates
will transition out of a day-to-day role in the company to spend more time
on his global health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. After July 2008 Gates will continue to serve as Microsoft’s
chairman and an advisor on key development projects.
In his junior year, Gates left Harvard University to devote his
energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with his childhood
friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a
valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began
developing software for personal computers. Gates' foresight and his
vision for personal computing have been central to the success of
Microsoft and the software industry.
Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft's mission has been to continually
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, reflected in its investment of
approximately $7.1 billion on research and development in the 2007 fiscal
year.
