Bill Gates Impact On Society

Bill Gates is a philanthropist and entrepreneur who revolutionized how people live their everyday lives. He attended Harvard University, but left in his junior year to start the company that became the most famous and recognized in the world, Microsoft. Formed in 1975, Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen founded and built the company that completely changed the way the world uses computers today (DeGrace). In the process, Gates became one of the richest men in the world. In 1986, Mr. Gates took Microsoft public, making him an instant millionaire at age 31. Overtime, the company’s stock increased in value and by 1987, Gates became a billionaire (“Bill Gates Biography ”). Not only did he lead a technological revolution, but his charitable work saved millions of lives across the globe.

Created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet in 2010, The Giving Pledge asks billionaires to publicly make a commitment to give away the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes by the time they die (“The Power of Giving: Philanthropy's Impact on American Life”). This pledge came to life when philanthropists around the world talked about ways to set a new standard of generosity among wealthy individuals. By making it public, Gates hopes it will aim to help shift the social norms of philanthropy toward giving more, giving smarter, and giving sooner. Signatories are encouraged to find their own unique way to give to what inspires them and benefits society. The Giving Pledge, as Gates said, it is “about building on a wonderful tradition of philanthropy that will ultimately help the world become a much better place.” (“About - The Giving Pledge”). Originally focused in the United States, it started with 40 pledgers but went global in 2013. As of February 2018, there are 175 pledgers from 22 countries (“About - The Giving