Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft and is successful.
William Henry Gates III ( born October 28 , 1955 ) is the co-founder of Microsoft and is an American business magnate , investor , author and philanthropist . In 1975 , Gates and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft , which became the world 's largest PC software company . Since 1987 , Gates has been included in the Forbes list of the world 's wealthiest people . Gates is the richest person in the world , with an estimated net worth of US$ 88.5 billion . Microsoft . As of 2016 , it is the world 's largest software maker by revenue , and one of the world 's most valuable companies .