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BILL GATES









The World's Billionaires
#1 William Gates III
www.forbes.com/lists/2009/10/billionaires-2009-richest_people_William-Gates-III_BH69.html
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Net Worth:$40.0 bil
Fortune:self made
Source:Microsoft
Age:53
Country Of Citizenship:United States
Residence:Medina, Washington
Industry:Software
Education:Harvard University, Drop Out,
Marital Status:married, 3 children


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1. Bill Gates is one of the most influential people in the world. He is cofounder of one of the most recognized brands in the computer industry with nearly every desk top computer using at least one software program from Microsoft. According to the Forbes magazine, Bill Gates is the richest man in the world and has held the number one position for many years.

2. Gates was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington USA. His father, William H. Gates II was a Seattle attorney and his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates was a school teacher and chairperson of the United Way charity. Gates and his two sisters had a comfortable upbringing, with Gates being able to attend the exclusive secondary "Lakeside School".

3. Bill Gates started studying at Harvard University in 1973 where he spent time with Paul Allen. Gates and Allen worked on a version of the programming language BASIC, that was the basis for the MITS Altair (the first microcomputer available). He did not go on to graduate from Harvard University as he left in his junior year to start what was to become the largest computer software company in the world; Microsoft Corporation.

4. Bill Gates and the Microsoft Corporation
"To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential." Microsoft Mission Statement
After dropping out of Harvard Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen set about revolutionizing the computer industry. Gates believed there should be a computer on every office desk and in every home.

5. In 1975 the company Micro-soft was formed, which was an abbreviation of microcomputer software. It soon became simply "Microsoft"® and went on to completely change the way people use computers.

6. Microsoft helped to make the computer easier to use with its developed and purchased software, and made it a commercial success. The success of Microsoft began with the MS-DOS computer operating system that Gates licensed to IBM. Gates also set about protecting the royalties that he could acquire from computer software by aggressively fighting against all forms of software piracy, effectively creating the retail software market that now exists today. This move was quite controversial at the time as it was the freedom of sharing that produced much innovation and advances in the newly forming software industry. But it was this stand against software piracy, that was to be central in the great commercial success that Microsoft went on to achieve.

7. Bill Gates retired as Microsoft CEO in 2008.



Bill Gates Criticism


a) With his great success in the computer software industry also came many criticisms. With his ambitious and aggressive business philosophy, Gates or his Microsoft lawyers have been in and out of courtrooms fighting legal battles almost since Microsoft began.

b) The Microsoft monopoly sets about completely dominating every market it enters through either acquisition, aggressive business tactics or a combination of them. Many of the largest technology companies have fought legally against the actions of Microsoft, including Apple Computer, Netscape, Opera, WordPerfect, and sun Microsystems.


c) Microsoft hasn't just made Bill Gates very wealthy though. According to the Forbes business magazine in 2004 Paul Allen, Microsoft cofounder was the 5th richest man in the world with an estimated $21 billion. While Bill Gates' long time friend and Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer was the 19th richest man in the world at $12.4 billion.



Bill Gates Philanthropy

1. Being the richest man in the world has also enabled Gates to create one of the world's largest charitable foundations. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment of more than $28 billion, with donations totaling more than $1 billion every year. The foundation was formed in 2000 after merging the "Gates Learning Foundation" and "William H. Gates Foundation". Their aim is to "bring innovations in health and learning to the global community".

2. Bill Gates continues to play a very active role in the workings of the Microsoft Company, but has handed the position of CEO over to Steve Ballmer. Gates now holds the positions of "Chairman" and "Chief Software Architect". He has started that he plans to take on fewer responsibilities at Microsoft and will eventually devote all his time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

3. In 2006, the second richest man in the world, Warren Buffett pledged to give much of his vast fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

4. Bill Gates Receives a KBE
In March 2005 William H. Gates received an "honorary" knighthood from the queen of England. Gates was bestowed with the KBE Order (Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his services in reducing poverty and improving health in the developing countries of the world.
After the privately held ceremony in Buckingham Palace with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Gates commented on the recognition..

5. "I am humbled and delighted. I am particularly pleased that this honor helps recognize the real heroes our foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) supports to improve health in poor countries. Their incredible work is helping ensure that one day all people, no matter where they are born, will have the same opportunity for a healthy life, and I'm grateful to share this honor with them."

6. The KBE Order of the British Empire is the second highest Order given out, but it is only an honorary knighthood as only citizens that are British or a part of the Commonwealth receive the full Order. This means that Gates does not become Sir Bill Gates.

7. Bill Gates lives near Lake Washington with his wife Melinda French Gates and their three children. Interests of Gates include reading, golf and playing bridge.




BILL GATES QUOTES:

1. Like almost everyone who uses e-mail, I receive a ton of spam every day. Much of it offers to help me get out of debt or get rich quick. It would be funny if it weren't so exciting.
Bill Gates - Internet - Funny - Rich

2. Is the rich world aware of how four billion of the six billion live? If we were aware, we would want to help out, we'd want to get involved.
Bill Gates - Philanthropy - Life - Rich - Helping

3. Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don't think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without the talking about the other.
Bill Gates - Internet - Technology - Business

4. Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
Bill Gates - Customers - Learning

5. I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.
Bill Gates - Internet - Technology - Products

6. The Internet will help achieve "friction free capitalism" by putting buyer and seller in direct contact and providing more information to both about each other.
Bill Gates - Internet - Capitalism - Customers

7. They say a year in the Internet business is like a dog year.. equivalent to seven years in a regular person's life. In other words, it's evolving fast and faster.
Vinton Cerf - Internet - Business - Innovation
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WARREN BUFFET















Net Worth:$37.0 bil
Fortune:self made
Source:Berkshire Hathaway
Age:78
Country Of Citizenship:United States
Residence:Omaha, Nebraska
Industry:Investments
Education:University of Nebraska Lincoln, Bachelor of Arts / Science, Columbia University, Master of Science
Marital Status:widowed, remarried, 3 children


Warren Buffett Biography


Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska,on August 30, 1930 to Howard Buffett, a stockbroker and United States Representative, and Leila Buffett. The only boy, he was the second of three children, and displayed an amazing aptitude for both money and business at a very early age.

At only six years old, Buffett purchased 6-packs of Coca Cola from his grandfather's grocery store for twenty five cents and resold each of the bottles for a nickel, pocketing a five cent profit. While other children his age were playing hopscotch and jacks, Warren was making money.

He began working at his father's brokerage at the age of 11, and that same year made his first stock purchase, buying Cities Services shares for $38 each for both himself and his older sister, Doris.

Shortly after buying the stock, it fell to just over $27 per share. A frightened but resilient Warren held his shares until they rebounded to $40. He promptly sold them - a mistake he would soon come to regret. Cities Service shot up to $200. The experience taught him one of the basic lessons of investing: patience is a virtue. At the age of 14 he spent $1,200 he had saved up from two paper routes to buy 40 acres of farmland which he then rented to tenant farmers.


Warren Buffett's Education

Buffett initially attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, then
transferred to the University of Nebraska. There he began his interest in investing after reading Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor. He obtained a Master's degree in economics in 1951 at Columbia Business School, studying under Benjamin Graham, alongside other future value investors including Walter Schloss and Irving Kahn.

Another influence on Buffett's investment philosophy was the well known investor and writer Philip Fisher. After receiving the only A+ Benjamin Graham ever handed out to a student in his security analysis class, Buffett wanted to work at Graham-Newman but was initially turned down.

He went to work at his father's brokerage as a salesman until Graham offered him a position in 1954. Buffett returned to Omaha two years later, when Graham retired.

www.warrenbuffet.com

www.beginnersinvest.about.com




From Warren Buffett's family album



Warren Buffett was born on 30 August 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the second of three children. As a child, he worked in his grandfather's store. (All pictures courtesy of Susie Buffett.)




Warren Buffett's business talents emerged in high school, when he and a friend bought a second-hand pinball machine for $25 and put it in a barber's shop. They soon added two more in other locations.



Warren Buffett and Susie Thompson were married at a ceremony in Omaha on 19 April 1952. The following year, Susie gave birth to their first child, Susan Alice Buffett.



The Buffett family soon grew, with the addition of two sons. Howard Graham Buffett was born in 1954, while their third child, Peter Andrew Buffett, arrived four years later.




Warren Buffett and his wife began living apart in 1977, but stayed married until her death in July 2004. Their daughter Susie, who lives in Omaha, does charity work through the Susan A Buffett Foundation.

www.news.bbc.co.uk




Warren Buffett's words of wisdom

Warren Buffett, known to many as the Oracle of Omaha, is considered one of the world's greatest investors.

His financial success means that his words of wisdom, or Buffettisms, are treasured by many as elixirs of truth. Here's a selection:
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett has built up a fortune estmated at $40bn

a) Rule No.1: Never lose money.

b) Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1

c) Be fearful when others are greedy.

d) Be greedy when others are fearful

e) It is far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price

f) Whether we're talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down

g) Price is what you pay. Value is what you get

h) It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it

Gates: Buffett is 'unique leader'

i) Cash combined with courage in a crisis is priceless

j) Never invest in a business you cannot understand

k) Only buy something that you'd be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for ten years

l) Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago

m) Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing

n) If you don't feel comfortable owning something for 10 years, then don't own it for 10 minutes

Susie Buffett on being Warren's daughter

o) If a business does well, the stock eventually follows

p) I wouldn't mind going to jail if I had three cellmates who played bridge

q) The fact that people will be full of greed, fear or folly is predictable. The sequence is not predictable

r) Come to Omaha - the cradle of capitalism - in May and enjoy yourself.


www.forbes.com

www.bbc.co.uk.com



DONOLD TRUMP


ROBERT KIYOSAKI