“I actually thought that it would be a little confusing during the same period of your life to be in one meeting when you’re trying to make money, and then go to another meeting where you’re giving it away.” Those words were spoken from Bill Gates, a hero in the computer industry. A hero is someone who changes something dramatically for the betterment of something they deeply believe in. Bill Gates does that with Microsoft where he tries to sell computers and through The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where he donates to different areas in the world. He helps with industrial and technological change, contributes, works his way up the “food chain”, and is a hero to some but not to others.      

First, Bill Gates fits in the five great American themes in the area of industrial and technological change. He has changed the way many Americans work and earn money. Most Americans use a PC (personal computer) sometime during day-to-day processes. Gates brought the PC into the world. He is also continually updating and changing the PC. Through his PC others have gained interest. Many of Gate’s competitors are interested in beating out Gates and advancing the U.S. further. Gates has built himself a nice living and if other people make similar inventions in technology like his but with their own ideas technology will be constantly growing. Gates took two ideas he liked and intertwined them to make his own invention. He dropped out of Harvard to make Microsoft in 1975. He took the Altair 8080 and the BASIC and made a PC. Bill Gates is redefining America with constant technological advances and through his Industrial abilities.

Secondly, Gates is constantly contributing to America and the world in general. His impact through Microsoft is one contribution. He employs over 78,000 people internationally. Microsoft Corps. is the world leader in software publishing. He and his wife Melinda Gates founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They both believe strongly in philanthropy and world health. They have $28.8 billion used for global health and improving the world. He also does many other somewhat unnoticed contributions. He founded a business called Corbis, which was made to make advances in biotechnology. What some people don’t know is that he published a book about how he sees a future as a technology filled world. Gates uses his net worth of $100 billion for many things that help contribute to technological and world health growth.

Next, is how Bill Gates got himself into a position of power to contribute to America and the world. He was born in October 12, 1955 into a wealthy family. His parents sent him to Lakeside private school because they thought he was an abnormally smart kid. He then went to Harvard and dropped out for a career with Microsoft. His school led him into an interest in computers. He would commonly skip class for a chance to mess around on the computers. He was usually found dabbling with the computer and had shown large interest in them. He also got into his position as chairman at Microsoft through his friends. Paul Allen was a key ingredient in helping him conjoin the Altair 8080 and the BASIC. Bill Gates shows us that following and adding in your two cents later can be more beneficial then leading.

Then, Gates is a controversial figure in our society and in history. Some people hate him and some just the opposite. People think he was unfair to consistently combine two ideas into one under his name. The first example was how he made his first PC through two other totally different ideas. He consistently invests time and money into changing ideas into one that will work and improve technology as it is. Some don’t like him because of how much money he has. His net worth is $100,000,000,000 after 25 years. That’s around $1,000,000 an hour. If he were to drop 1000 or so dollars he would actually make one to two hundred more getting to work and working then spending about 5 seconds to pick it up. People also get jealous and wish they were like him and could make that much money. He is smart and made money through simplicity, 1’s and 0’s. He is in a competitive business that doesn’t seem simple to many people. He shares a dream to have a PC in every house, which some people will look at as a bad thing. Gates has many reasons to be hated but most of the time it comes down to jealousy or the pure simplicity of it.

On the same note, Bill Gates is loved by a lot of people. He is a large supplier of something nearly everyone has or uses on a daily basis. Most jobs involve computers and Microsoft is one of the largest suppliers for PC’s. The way Gates uses his money is often for helpful causes. He donates a lot of money to charity and the betterment of world health. He created a foundation because of his strong belief in philanthropy care towards the subject. His genius may encourage and inspire many to do the same. Gates has shown that having an interest in something and developing billions off it is inspiring for kids. He is a subtle leader through his creations, development and unselfishness of donations to benefit the earth. No matter what you do or who you are it is near impossible to please everyone.

Finally, Gates has made many advancements, contributes, works hard to continue to be successful, and is in many ways a hero. Bill Gates has made huge growth in the industrial and technological world. He contributes to the world and is looked up to by many. I think he is a technological hero in the sense of his advances and accomplishments but that he used other great ideas and not his own originality. He has made some great progress in the computer industry. The PC has undeniably changed how we view the world and each other. It also is impressive that Gates has changed our world from sticks and rocks to monitors and circuit boards. He didn’t use his own originality to make the PC. I think giving credit where credit is due is important and that other creators should be rewarded too. It’s like a band taking a song and making a remix, it’s not really their song it’s someone else’s. “If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 mpg.” This is another quote by Bill Gates putting into perspective the progress he has made in contrast to something even more common.