Bill Gates, widely recognized as the co-founder of Microsoft and a noted philanthropist, arrived in Indonesia to hold a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto. So, who is Bill Gates? Born as William Henry Gates III, he is the co-creator of Microsoft, the world's largest software company. He started the company with his partner Paul Allen in 1975, a venture that eventually made Gates a billionaire. According to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data, as of April 2025, Bill Gates has a net worth of US$104.6 billion, placing him 14th among the richest individuals globally — equivalent to approximately Rp1,764 trillion.

From Microsoft to Philanthropy

In July 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded a company called Micro-soft, a blend of the words “microcomputer” and “software.” Within a year, they dropped the hyphen, renaming it Microsoft. Although the journey started with challenges, the two eventually succeeded in building the world's leading software company.

A major milestone occurred in June 1981, when Microsoft was formally incorporated. Gates became president and chairman of the board, while Paul Allen was appointed executive vice president. By 1983, Microsoft had gone global, establishing subsidiaries in the UK, France, and Germany.

Gates' decision to take Microsoft public on the Nasdaq stock exchange in March 1986 immediately made him a multimillionaire. The IPO was priced at US$21 per share. After leading Microsoft for 25 years, Gates stepped down as CEO in January 2000 — the same year he founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, now known simply as the Gates Foundation. He handed the CEO role to Steve Ballmer, who had been with Microsoft since 1980, while Gates took on the role of Chief Software Architect to focus more on the business areas he was passionate about, though he remained chairman of the board.

In 2006, Gates officially left his full-time position at the company, choosing to dedicate more time to his philanthropic work. Although he no longer holds a permanent seat on the board, Gates continues to serve as a technology advisor to Microsoft and, according to Biography, occasionally reviews products for the company.

Beyond his foundation’s work, Gates has shown strong interest in Alzheimer’s research. In November 2017, he announced a plan to invest US$50 million in the Dementia Discovery Fund, along with another US$50 million in startups focusing on Alzheimer’s research. According to CNN at the time, Gates revealed that he had seen the devastating impact of the disease on his own family members, including his father who passed away in 2020.

“Any kind of treatment would be a huge advancement from what we currently have,” Gates told CNN, adding, “the long-term goal must be a cure.”