What do you do when you come home from school? If you don't work or have an extracurricular activity, you will most likely grab a snack and start browsing the web on your laptop, desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Have you ever stopped to think about the technology inside those devices? The complex hardware components such as CPU, GPU or hard disk. Or, more importantly, how software and hardware go hand in hand. Without software, your device would just be an expensive paperweight. While you may not think hardware, software, or technology is a big deal, it has changed America. Bill Gates is the founding father of software, and through his early career, the rise of Microsoft, and his philanthropic efforts, he changed America. William (Bill) H. Gates was born on October 28, 1955. At the age of 13, Gates began to show an interest in computer programming. Through fierce business strategies, technological innovation and business partner Paul Allen, the world's largest software company, Microsoft, was created. In the process, Bill became one of the richest men in the world. In addition to starting Microsoft, Gates is an active philanthropist who founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 1994. On June 27, 2008, Gates stepped down from Microsoft's day-to-day roles to devote more time to its global health and education efforts . the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates grew up in an upper-middle-class family with two sisters; Kristianne, who is older and Libby, who is younger. William H Gates, their father, was a promising law student when he met their mother, Mary Maxwell. The atmosphere in the Gates family was warm and close-knit, and the children were encouraged to strive for excellence despite being com… middle of paper… millions of Microsoft's $520 million. Gates became a billionaire in 1987, when the stock rose to $90.75 per share. Since then, Gates has been near or at the top of Forbes' annual list of the 400 richest people in America. With stock prices at all-time highs in 1999, Gates' wealth reached $101 billion. Gates never felt completely secure about his company's status. Always looking over the shoulders of his competitors to see where they were. He developed a competitive spirit that has been described as a white-hot fire. Gates expected everyone in the company to have the same dedication and motivation as him. “The story goes that one of Gates' assistants arrived at work early and found someone sleeping under a desk. She considered calling security or the police when she found out it was Gates. "Bill slowly began to gain a reputation as a ruthless leader.