Gates 2

Timeline: Bill Gates

By aah11

  • The Dropout

    The Dropout
    Bill Gates enrolled in Harvard to study law in 1973. He quickly dropped out in 1975 to found Microsoft with Paul Allen.

  • Ring- Ring

    Ring- Ring
    From his dorm, Gates calls MITS to offer to develop software for the MITS Altair. They accept his offer and pay Gates 3k and royalties. He takes his first leave of absence to work on Micro-Soft.

  • Movers Wanted

    Movers Wanted
    Gates sets up Microsoft in Albuquerque, N.M.

  • Cha-Ching

    Cha-Ching
    Microsoft’s year-end sales exceed $1 million.

  • Billions

    Billions
    At age 31, Gates becomes the youngest billionaire ever.

  • Corbis

    Corbis
    Gates founds Corbis, an archive of art and photography from public and private collections.

  • Wedding Bells

    Wedding Bells
    Bill Gates marries Melinda French

  • Now Introducing

    Now Introducing
    Microsoft introduces Internet Explorer to the world, as part of Windows 95.

  • Gates, The Author

    Gates, The Author
    Gates publishes another best-selling book, Business @ the Speed of Thought, about the interconnectedness of business and technology.

  • The Split Up

    The Split Up
    Gates steps down as CEO of Microsoft. Federal District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson concludes Microsoft misused its monopoly power, and orders the company be split in two parts, one to produce the operating system and the other to produce other software components.

  • The Appeal

    The Appeal
    Judge Penfield’s 2000 decision is overturned on appeal. The DOJ announces that it is no longer seeking to break up Microsoft and will instead seek a lesser antitrust penalty. An agreement is reached between the DOJ and Microsoft on Nov. 2.

  • Sir Bill Gates

    Sir Bill Gates
    Queen Elizabeth II bestows an honorary knighthood on Gates for his contributions to the United Kingdom.

  • Step Down

    Step Down
    Gates announces that his role as an executive at Microsoft will be phased out over the following two years. His intention, he says, is to spend more time working with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

  • The Graduate

    The Graduate
    Gates “graduates” from Harvard; the university awards him with an honorary degree.

  • Transition to Retirement

    Transition to Retirement
    Gates retires from day-to-day duties at Microsoft on June 27, but stays in the role of chairman and adviser on important development projects.