Bill Gates

The Foundation

Bill Gates began his journey to wealth at a young age, leveraging his passion for computers and programming. His first significant financial success came when he was just 17 years old, selling a computer program he developed for his high school, Lakeside School, for $4,200. This early venture marked the beginning of his entrepreneurial career and set the stage for his future successes in the tech industry.

In 1975, while still a student at Harvard University, Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen recognized the potential of the emerging personal computer market. They contacted MITS, the manufacturer of the Altair 8800, offering to develop software for it. MITS accepted their proposal, purchasing their BASIC interpreter for $3,000 plus royalties. This deal was pivotal as it led to the founding of their company, named Microsoft.

By 1978, Microsoft had grown rapidly, achieving year-end sales exceeding $1 million. This growth was fueled by their successful licensing of MS-DOS, an operating system they acquired and modified from Seattle Computer Products in 1981. After licensing MS-DOS to IBM for their personal computers, Gates officially became a millionaire by the age of 26.

Conclusion

Thus, Gates earned his first million through a combination of early programming projects and strategic business decisions that capitalized on the burgeoning personal computer revolution.