1955年10月28日，威廉·亨利·蓋茨三世出生在美國西雅圖一個富裕家庭。父親是知名律師，母親是銀行董事。小比爾從小就展現出驚人的記憶力和數學天賦，8歲時就能背誦整部《馬太福音》。

On October 28, 1955, William Henry Gates III was born into an affluent family in Seattle, USA. His father was a prominent lawyer and his mother a bank director. Young Bill displayed remarkable memory and mathematical talent from an early age, able to recite the entire Gospel of Matthew by age 8.

11歲時，父母將他送到私立湖濱中學。正是在這里，他第一次接觸到了計算機，立刻被這個神奇的機器深深吸引。他與同學保羅·艾倫常常逃課泡在計算機室里，有時甚至通宵達旦地編程。

At age 11, his parents enrolled him at the private Lakeside School. It was here that he first encountered computers and was immediately captivated by these magical machines. He and classmate Paul Allen would often skip classes to spend time in the computer room, sometimes programming all night long.

13歲時，比爾編寫了他的第一個計算機程序——一個井字棋游戲。15歲時，他與保羅·艾倫開發了"Traf-O-Data"系統，用于分析交通流量數據并賺取了2萬美元。這個項目雖然最終失敗，卻為他積累了寶貴的商業經驗。

At age 13, Bill wrote his first computer program—a tic-tac-toe game. At 15, he and Paul Allen developed "Traf-O-Data," a system for analyzing traffic flow data that earned them $20,000. Though the project ultimately failed, it provided valuable business experience.

1973年，比爾以1590分(滿分1600)的SAT成績考入哈佛大學。然而，他對傳統教育體系感到厭倦，經常逃課去計算機實驗室。1974年，當《大眾電子》雜志封面刊登Altair 8800微型計算機時，比爾意識到個人計算機時代的到來。

In 1973, Bill entered Harvard University with a near-perfect SAT score of 1590 out of 1600. However, he grew bored with traditional education, often skipping classes to work in computer labs. In 1974, when Popular Electronics featured the Altair 8800 microcomputer on its cover, Bill recognized the dawn of the personal computer era.

1975年，20歲的比爾做出了人生中最重大的決定——從哈佛輟學，與保羅·艾倫一起創立微軟公司。創業初期，他們擠在阿爾伯克基一家汽車旅館的小房間里工作，經常連續工作36小時不休息。

In 1975, 20-year-old Bill made the most significant decision of his life—dropping out of Harvard to co-found Microsoft with Paul Allen. In the early days, they worked out of a small room in an Albuquerque motel, often working 36-hour shifts without rest.

微軟的第一個大客戶是MITS公司，他們為Altair計算機開發BASIC解釋器。然而，當MITS被收購后，新東家拒絕支付費用。比爾堅持捍衛知識產權，最終贏得了這場官司，這成為微軟早期發展的關鍵轉折點。

Microsoft's first major client was MITS, for whom they developed a BASIC interpreter for the Altair computer. However, when MITS was acquired, the new owners refused to pay. Bill insisted on defending intellectual property rights and ultimately won the lawsuit, a pivotal moment in Microsoft's early development.

1980年，IBM需要為即將推出的個人電腦尋找操作系統。比爾抓住機遇，以5萬美元收購了QDOS系統，稍作修改后以MS-DOS授權給IBM。這一戰略決策使微軟成為PC行業的標準制定者。

In 1980, IBM needed an operating system for its upcoming personal computer. Bill seized the opportunity, purchasing QDOS for $50,000, modifying it slightly, and licensing it to IBM as MS-DOS. This strategic decision made Microsoft the standard-setter in the PC industry.

1985年，Windows 1.0發布，開啟了圖形用戶界面時代。盡管初期評價不佳，比爾堅持改進，最終使Windows成為全球最成功的操作系統。到1995年，他成為世界首富，時年39歲。

In 1985, Windows 1.0 launched, ushering in the era of graphical user interfaces. Despite poor initial reviews, Bill persisted with improvements, ultimately making Windows the world's most successful operating system. By 1995, he became the world's richest person at age 39.

2000年，比爾辭去微軟CEO職務，與妻子梅琳達共同創立了比爾及梅琳達·蓋茨基金會。該基金會已成為全球最大的私人慈善組織，在根除脊髓灰質炎、改善全球衛生條件等方面投入數百億美元。

In 2000, Bill stepped down as Microsoft CEO and co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with his wife. It has become the world's largest private philanthropic organization, investing billions in eradicating polio and improving global health conditions.

2023年，蓋茨基金會宣布追加70億美元用于全球健康與發展項目。同年，比爾繼續倡導應對氣候變化，投資清潔能源技術，并警告人工智能的風險與機遇。

In 2023, the Gates Foundation announced an additional $7 billion for global health and development programs. That same year, Bill continued advocating for climate change action, investing in clean energy technologies, and warning about AI's risks and opportunities.

"成功是個糟糕的老師。它誘使聰明人以為自己不會失敗。"比爾經常用這句話提醒自己和他人保持謙遜。他相信科技的力量可以解決人類最緊迫的問題，但需要政府、企業和慈善機構的共同努力。

"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." Bill often uses this quote to remind himself and others to stay humble. He believes technology can solve humanity's most pressing problems but requires collaboration between governments, businesses, and philanthropies.

比爾的人生哲學是：找到你熱愛的事業，全身心投入，并利用你的成功幫助他人。從電腦神童到商業巨擘，再到慈善先鋒，他不斷重新定義成功的含義，激勵著新一代改變世界。

Bill's life philosophy is: Find what you're passionate about, commit to it fully, and use your success to help others. From computer whiz to business titan to philanthropic pioneer, he continually redefines the meaning of success, inspiring new generations to change the world.