I don't know any other Distinguished individual that can compete by level of his contribution for the US economy and US leadership in the world with BillG(In time span of last 30 years). Thanks to Microsoft's push of technology, the average productivity of American worker skyrocketed, while many processes that were quite costly before - now thanks to technology significantly drooped in capital required. The dream of having PC on every table in the world, that what to my understanding made in possible. I believe without Microsoft and BillG that dream would still be far from being achieved.... Now, look at BillG and Melinda Gates foundation - BillG donated more cash for aids research than any nation in the world...

Gates is to be reviled for his rapaciously monopolistic practices. As I said elsewhere, capitalism is a marvelously efficient economic system. It functions by appealing to that most basic of human instincts, self-interest, or, more properly, greed. It provides incentives for hard work and innovation, but also for dishonesty, immorality, ruthlessness, and corruption. Thus it needs strict and constant regulation to curb its natural tendencies, in order to protect the larger society. Gates conveniently ignored the fact that we have antitrust laws and tried to skirt them by any means possible. On the other hand, he has been a generous philanthropist. Whether this redeems him is a question I leave for others. 

Although he was by no means the only pioneer of what we call today's modern computer, Bill Gates has made it possible for the average person to own a computer and in general has made life better for everyone. Sometimes though, Mr Gates becomes so caught up in his own legendary status that he loses perspective and seems to think that the rest of the world should be like him and his company. This was brought to light several years ago when, at a computer expo, Mr. Gates compared the computer industry with the automobile industry. Mr. Gates said "If General Motors had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that get 1,000 miles to the gallon." This remark did not go unnoticed and in response to his comment, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics. 1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day. 2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car. 3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut the car off, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this. 4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine. 5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive, but would run on only five percent of the roads. 6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light. 7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying. 8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna. 9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car. 10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

ALL SHARP THINGS ARE SHORT! A STITCH ON TIME SAVES NINE ! MR. BILL GATES DESERVES THE HIGHEST CONGRESSIONAL AWARD !

Another guy that acts self-made. Family are rich bankers for the last 100 years in Seattle area. If I were 15 years older and my mother had been on the board of the Red Cross with the CEO of IBM I could have bought and OS and sold it too them. The guy that created the OS could have never got the CEO on the phone. Pays to know people in high places. Then I could have bought even more peoples ideas rather than create and stole others. People also forget MS is not without several failures. MS BOB! Gates said in the mid 90's 70% of people would be banking online within 3 years and using some microsoft service (MS banking not the OS) to do it. Wrong. Gate was in the right place right time. Now his stuff gets pirated by China so what did he do when they demand MS hand over the source code before being allowed into the market? He did, what a surprise that an evil government like China Pirate his product about 16 hours later. I wonder how much of his charity money has been ripped off. You give money to corrupt third world countries and it is likely less than a nickle on the dollar gets to it intended purpose. When the USA gave grain to somalia it turn out thugs stole it and were selling it. Happens all the time. George Harrison said he didn't like doing Charity concert cause the money always gets stolen. Morons like Bono say that doesn't happen now Sure and for some reason nothing ever get fix.

He is the richest man in the world but he has probably also donated the most to charity and medical research of any person who ever lived. I know he once donated 24 billion dollars to one foundation(I think it was his and his wife's foundation).

Came up with some very good ideas and surrounded himself with ultra-talented help, but engaged in some very ethically dubious business practices along the way, and hasn't shot bolts of lightening through the sky of the philantropy world given all the dough he has. This guy's company specialized in putting smaller companies out of business, and in doing so, wrecked people's careers and inflicted financial hardship on countless thousands. This also had a profound negative effect on the competitive atmosphere of the programming industry, actually retarded the growth and development of that market sector, and reduced consumer choice and freedom. This is a demonstration of the economic idea that is the darling of the conservative set: endless dollars flowing into the hands of the select few, with reduced options open to a captive clientelle. Furthermore, many of Microsoft's products truly suck, but because the thugs and racketeers under Gates' aegis were so effective in wiping out, bully-style, the competition, we as users are stuck with some of his turkey products. Excel is a truly lame, clunky and user-unfriendly program based on legacy programming, and you have to wonder why Gates just doesn't spend the money to re-engineer this program from the ground up, and idea long overdue. That is, of course, if you discount the fact that he's a very greedy SOB who actually operates under the credo The Public Be Damned!!! And even his flagship product, Windows, has major design flaws and a fragmented operational focus that makes some of it features underperform in a most disappointing fashion. So, this guy's performance, the mountains of $$$ he's made notwithstanding, is mixed: it is the deeper and broader impact and repercussions he actions and decisions that gravely undercut the value of his so-called success.

Some of the posters here seem to have strange definitions of capitalism, that it is inherently based on violently (in the business sense) squelching competition, and thereby, innovation, and that a monopoly, which would seek to perpetuate itself at the expense of what might really benefit consumers, represents capitalism. Gates, in an interview by Bill Moyers, deemed the AIDS crisis in Africa--his pet charity--the failure of capitalism. Bill Gates, and his truly obscene wealth, is the failure of capitalism.

I don't understand why so many people carry on badly about Bill Gates. I think it is very obvious that he is highly intelligent, and deserves all the good things that come with his success. I think jealousy could play a huge part in it, but who knows or truly cares? I don't !

I know I'm a heretic, but I like him. He plays the game well. He's a hero for all nerds and geeks. Plenty of people hate him, but underneath it is invariably envy.

Bill gates is the greatest! I love Bill gates!!! Hes so cool and interesting and all the ladies love him!!! And no his company doesnt run the world! No his microsoft isnt watching me all the time! No Microsoft isnt plotting world domination! No microsoft doesnt own the governemts of the world and all these wars and laws arent just covers for their big plan!!! So Im not saying this cuz hes WATCHING US AT ALL TIMES AND WOULD KILL ME IN A SECOND IF I GIVE HIM 1 STAR!!!! Cuz hes not. Thats just silly!

a great one to to see what others didn't see and didn't realize.

Bottom line - Theft is how Gates got started. Searching out the right people (for a price) to surround himself with has kept him going...He alone is no more intelligent than the employees providing the backs that he is standing on.

A person who dares to dream!

The epitome of greed. The poster child for "People with Unresolved Issues Who Never Can Have Enough to Ease the Inner Hurt".

If you don't like him, you write a better OS and put your name on the building. Because of MS, I have a great job and making great money doing it. Hats off to Mr. Gates.

Sometimes I think people hate Bill Gates because he achieved his great success so fast and at such a young age. Then there are other times I think it’s because he has a touch of evil mixed with his business genius. Well, if that’s the case, he shares this trait with nearly anyone else who ever made it big in the business world - even the all powerful king of wholesome, Walt Disney. To me the most questionable thing about him is his taste in architecture – have you ever seen a photo of that monstrosity he calls an estate? Just a personal opinion - but with all his money wouldn't you think he could at least buy some taste?

There is no way of getting around this guy, still a BS artist though

Cut-throat bussinessman. the kind of person america is built on. revolutioinary computer system windows. billionaire who is against philantrophy. hey thats his own afairs. sortof weird looking but a cool guy.

Oh get over yourself, and give all that cash to someone who needs it. (Preferly poor) And don´t sell out, Billy! No good can come of it, you know. I tell you, I know these thing.

Bill Gates & his father are different than most business leaders. They aren't just egoistic profit makers, but have also showed the world that they are willing to make an effort to change the face of the poorest part of the world: Africa. Especially the vaccinating programme on malaria has receieved recognition throughout the world! Keep it going, Gates! :-)) Gates isn't the only one from the computer field who has had social awareness, remember that the founder of The Hunger Site also was a computer ingeneerer! :-)

I pledge all of my abilities and attention to MICROSOFT!

If you're using success as the primary criteria when you're rating "Business Executives," how in the world can you not give Bill Gates five stars? Here's a college drop-out who bought an operating system from a friend of a friend and leveraged that to build one of the most powerful and influential companies in the world. Sure you can say he stole ideas from people, sure you can say he engaged in ruthless business practices, and sure you can poke holes in his management style. But the bottom line is that over the past twenty-five years or so this guy has played the game of capitalism better than anyone else.