A Leader: Bill Gates: Portrait Of A Leader

Decent Essays
Bill Gates, Portrait of a Leader
Daniel Spainhour
Coleman University

Abstract
Bill Gates started out a small, quiet boy with a thirst for knowledge. He began teaching himself computer programming at a very young age. Though he was highly intelligent he was also a little mischievous. He wrote his first computer program to steal passwords when he was 13 years old. When he was 15 he sold his first computer program. He dropped out of Harvard University to pursue a dream of what he believed would change the future. He made his own deals, created his own environments from scratch, and he went on to control one of the most powerful computer software companies in the world. He was on the Forbes list of wealthiest people several years running. This paper will outline Bill’s early life and his rise to power, his leadership skills, and his ability to help the world as a result of his great success.
Bill Gates, Portrait of a Leader

In 1974, at the age of 19, Bill Gates founded Microsoft. He started the
…show more content…
This was an improvement upon QDOS, which was another iteration of Tim Patterson’s micro-processing software. Patterson allegedly copied parts of QDOS from a program called CP/M, which was the brainchild of Gary Kildall. Kildall was initially approached by IBM, the makers of the microprocessor, to create software for them. Kildall’s vision was to create software that could run on multiple manufacturers’ processors. A software that could be mass-marketed and was not dependent on one specific piece of hardware. Gary Kildall was in inventor. Bill Gates was a visionary with purpose. He purchased QDOS for $50,000, improved it, called it DOS, and sold it per license to IBM. Together, IBM and Microsoft continuously hedged out the competition before new companies could get up and gather momentum, thus solidifying the two companies as the industry standard for personal computers, and the best place to turn to for

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    There are many people in this world that aspire for riches and power, but very few ever attain this sweet dream. This dream happened to be achieved by two men who got to that level of success by doing what they love, and making sure they were the best at it. Considering how both Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates are derived from different beginnings. They both embraced life’s challenges and made the decisions necessary to, one, become the wealthy men they desired to be, and two, not forget about those in need, through charity work. In a small town named Dunfermline, Scotland, on November 25, 1835, Andrew Carnegie was born in the small gray stone cottage on Moodie Street.…

    • 2000 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Malcolm Gladwell Success

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many successful people do not begin as a virtuoso. In fact, most do not achieve success with only their power. They receive assistance, whether it was in the form of a mundane person or remarkable program. Two recurring factors Malcolm Gladwell mentions in Outliers: The Story of Success are opportunities, and as is repeatedly implied, environment. As Gladwell continuously proves many successful people, like Bill Gates, owe their success to those same two factors.…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    While reading Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s, essay, Delusions of Grandeur, It became clear that there is in fact an awful truth which takes place within the United States today. Throughout the essay Gates accurately depicts the truth that young African American students are being drawn towards success in sports, rather than success in school. The essay emphasizes that African American students are not the only group that needs to be aware of this issue, but all Americans as well. Although Gates has made strong points in his essay about African Americans attraction to professional sports, he is lacking in supportive text and a few key sources to really give his essay the persuasive strength it needs.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This article discussed the early accomplishments, documentaries, and controversies surrounding the life of Henry Louis Gates Jr. Born on September 16, 1950, in Keyser, West Virginia, Gates continued to travel and study internationally before he became in charge of Harvard’s African-American studies department. Additionally, Gates was an exceptional student who continued to excel academically, he graduated with a degree in history from Yale University in the year 1973. He continued to pursue high education at Clare College, which is a part of the University of Cambridge in England. He obtained his doctorate degree in 1979, making him the first African American to even receive a Ph.D. from this University (biography.com).…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ronald Reagan Qualities

    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Admirable men should be men who exemplify great leadership in a morally correct manner. As President of the United States, Ronald Reagan conducted business with class and honor. As a cofounder of Microsoft and one of the world’s richest men, Bill Gates led his company with passion, humility, and respect for others with whom he worked. Although Bill Gates has generously donated an enormous amount of money to the less fortunate, Ronald Reagan’s legacy has changed American politics forever. Ronald Reagan grew up in Tampico, Illinois, with one older brother, Neil.…

    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Rhetoric, the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, was an integral part of the speeches in this unit. Through the effective use of language, the speakers in this section were able to reach out to their audience and connect with them. The speakers’ mastery of language and knowledge of their audiences allowed them to transcend the generations and effect people today. Steve Jobs, now known for his entrepreneurial successes, revealed his humble beginnings in his speech at Stanford. His audience, a multitude of scholars, may have expected the CEO of Apple to introduce himself by flaunting his intelligence and success.…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bill Gates Impact

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Bill Gates A major figure who is and has made a big impact within the public health and social justice field is Bill Gates. Bill is a Harvard University Drop out who became an American business magnate, philanthropist, investor, and computer programmer. Today his worth is 79.2 billion USD. Organizations that Bill is involved with are Microsoft and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Steve Jobs can be considered an American icon. He helped create a society filled with technological advances no person could have ever imagined. In 2005, Jobs presented a commencement speech at Stanford University that captured the hearts of many people through his use of emotion and rhetoric. By breaking down his speech into three parts he was able to develop one overlying theme, never give up until you find something you love. The three stories he decided to share included connecting the dots, love and loss, and death.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Steve Jobs: A True Hero

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A famous technological innovator once said, “my favorite things in life don’t cost money, it’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time,” and the great innovator was Steve Jobs (“Steve Jobs Quotes” n.pag.). Truly, Jobs is an influential and popular man because of his choices that turned into successes. He chose to use his computer intelligence to create a revolutionary business that gave computers to the average class. He influences others to strive for greatness and use their lives wisely while not allowing money to control their choices. Indeed, in an innovative world, Steve Jobs has made himself recognizable as a true hero because of his selflessness, professional accomplishments, and strong determination to work…

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Intel Company had developed a single chip that could be used to program and at a meeting Wozniak had the idea to make a computer with the chips, but they were expensive, so later on they found a company who made the same chips for less and then they came up with the name Apple Computer and then they told Ron Wayne a former boss at Atari to come up with the logo. Since Wozniak was working at HP he showed them the computer, but they weren’t interested, so they made Wayne a partner. To start a company you need money but they didn’t have any do Wozniak got a small loan from friends and Jobs made an agreement with the chip distributors and also with a local shop to buy 50 Apple 1 computers. The company was working on the next product, Apple 2 and released it,…

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Marcella Gundlach 09/25/2016 Persuasive speech outline Thesis: Steve Jobs is more than a cultural icon. He has improved the lives of others by making important contributions to society. Such as simplifying technology, saving the environment, and by making Apple’s products more efficient for its users. Attention Getter:…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Leadership Profile: Elon Musk Introduction: Elon Musk is arguably one of the greatest leaders in business and innovation of the past few decades, and possibly into the future. As an adolescent, Elon Musk came to the realization that the most difficult thing was to come up with the right question. After much reflection, he decided the question that would shape the rest of his life: what things would have the greatest impact on the future of humanity’s destiny. Since then, Elon Musk has created and led many successful companies focusing on space and alternative energy. Elon Musk even became the second entrepreneur to found three companies with a market cap of over 1 billion dollars (Elon Musk Biography, n.d.).…

    • 1292 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Moreover, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have many things in common, such as academic life, working on Internet industries. Therefore, these two speakers have more comparison than any other else. Comparing with Steve Jobs, who delivered a commencement address at Stanford University on June 2005. His address exists some similarities and differences from the address that Bill Gates…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Introduction Steve Jobs is considered as a famous American Information Technology entrepreneur. He was a great inventor as well as a leader also. He was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the famous information technology organization known as Apple Inc. He described himself as an innovative entrepreneur who believes only in perfection.…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    These qualites include ambition, selflessness, motivation, and intelignece. His ambition is shown through his early days creating Microsoft. Old interviews show that he recognized the potential in Microsoft's future. He always wanted "to have more than a single product". Gates' selflessness is shown through the countless of charitable acts he has done.…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays

Related Topics