William Henry Gates III is a co-founder of Microsoft and is an American business magnate, investor, author and philanthropist. In 1975, Gates and Paul Allen launched Microsoft, which became the world's largest PC software company.

Bill and Melinda Gates are among the world's leading philanthropists. They co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation in 2000 and have made philanthropy their full-time focus. The majority of their giving has focused on improving the health and well-being of the world's poorest people. The Gates Foundation's tagline is: "All Lives Have Equal Value." . In 2010, the Gateses and Warren Buffett started the Giving Pledge, a campaign that encourages the wealthiest people in the world to give at least half of their wealth to philanthropic causes.