(born 1955) Born in Seattle to a prominent family Gates attended Harvard University with the intention of becoming a lawyer like his father, although at age thirteen he was already working on his first computer program. An awkward adolescent who rarely went to parties, Gates has become Harvard’s most famous and wealthy drop-out as the brains behind the world’s largest software company Microsoft.

The myth of Microsoft’s origin goes like this: one day in December 1974, Gates contacted the manufacturer of the Altair 8800 (a do-it-yourself computer) to inform them that he could provide software. To fill the contract Gates and his friend Paul Allen (who worked at Honeywell) formed “Microsoft.” The company struggled until IBM asked Gates to provide an operating system for its first PC. Gates bought the QDOS system from another company renamed it MS-DOS and licensed it to IBM. Owing to Gates’ successful maneuvering, the success of the PC became inextricably linked to the rise of Microsoft.

At first Microsoft focused on the software market; its word-processing program Microsoft Word rivaled WordPerfect and other programs. Meanwhile, at thirty-one, Gates became a billionaire when his company went public. The company changed focus in 1987 with the introduction of Windows, the operating system now on virtually every PC, although it is not universally endorsed. Even within the ranks of non-Macintosh users, some prefer the Unix and Linux operating systems, criticizing Windows for being “buggy” and flawed.

In 1995 the company changed focus again, this time turning towards the Internet and pushing its browser, Internet Explorer, tied to the functioning of the computer’s desktop.

The bundling of software (which didn’t include IE’s rival Netscape) has come under scrutiny from the Justice Department, whose preliminary decision stated that Microsoft had engaged in monopolistic practices, thus continuing a series of antitrust investigations.

Regardless, Microsoft is now a major player in Internet-related and entertainment businesses and has entered into alliances with NBS and with the cable station and website MSNBC.

In 1998, the Justice Department began court actions against Microsoft for antitrust violations, especially with regard to bundling Internet software with its PC operating system and maintaining a monopoly for that system. After a preliminary finding of fact in November, 1999, on April 3, 2000, Judge Thomas Jackson ruled that Microsoft had in fact violated the Sherman Anti-trust Act and soon recommended divisions in the operation of the company. Public reaction as well as stockmarket interest has been intense.

Nonetheless, Gates remains one of the world’s richest men; he has recently begun to involve himself in philanthropy with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, and has talked about the need to return to creative outlets. His lifestyle, meanwhile, combines elements of the American middle class and its success stories with the opulence of a 40,000 square foot mansion. His company both loved and hated, has become one of the foundations of the century ahead.