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In 1975, Gates and Allen formed a partnership they called Micro-Soft, a blend of "micro-computer" and "software."
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In February 1976, Gates wrote an open letter to computer hobbyists, saying that continued distribution and use of software without paying for it would "prevent good software from being written." In essence, pirating software would discourage developers from investing time and money into creating quality software.
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Microsoft wrote software in different formats for other computer companies, and, at the beginning of 1979, Gates moved the company's operations to Bellevue, Washington, just east of Seattle
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Bill Gates as his mother succumbed to breast cancer(1994)
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In 1994, Gates and his wife established the William H. Gates Foundation, which was dedicated to supporting education, world health and investment in low-income communities
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In 1996, their first daughter, Jennifer, was born. A year later, Gates moved his family into a 55,000-square-foot, $54-million house on the shore of Lake Washington
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Their son, Rory, was born in 1999.
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They started out by making a $28 billion contribution to set up the foundation.(2000)
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second daughter, Phoebe, arrived in 2002.
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Gates holds several honorary doctorates from universities throughout the world and an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005.
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Time magazine named Gates one of the most influential people of the 20th century. The magazine also named Gates, his wife Melinda and rock band U2's lead singer, Bono, as the 2005 Persons of the Year.
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In February 2014, Gates announced that he would be stepping down as chairman of Microsoft in order to move into a new position as technology adviser. In addition to Gates's transition, it was reported that longtime Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer would be replaced by 46-year-old Satya Nadella.
