Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft, the world’s largest personal computer software company, in 1975, and is one of the pioneers of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Today, Gates is one of the richest people in the world, and Bill and his wife, Melinda, are known for their generosity.
In 2000, they created the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is reported to be the world's largest private charity. And in June 2017, they donated $4.6 billion worth of Microsoft shares to the foundation to combat malaria and improve healthcare around the world.
The couple also started The Giving Pledge with fellow billionaire Warren Buffet in 2010 to inspire other rich people to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.
"If you believe that every life has equal value, it’s revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not," Gates explains. "We said to ourselves: 'This can’t be true. But if it is true, it deserves to be the priority of our giving.'"
Melinda adds: "Philanthropy is not about the money. It’s about using whatever resources you have at your fingertips and applying them to improving the world."