Bill Gates
Chairman, Microsoft
Bill Gates is about to enter what may well be the most unusual year he will spend in his long career as the co-founder of Microsoft: his last as a day-to-day employee. Next summer, he will step away from his day job at the company, while remaining its chairman, to devote nearly all his time to the world-renowned charitable foundation he runs with his wife, Melinda French Gates. Meanwhile, he will remain involved in the software giant’s numerous challenges and opportunities, including how to be as relevant in a world of Web applications and new hardware devices as in the world of traditional apps and personal computers. He is a true founding father of the digital revolution.
