Bill Gates At Cambridge University [Image via Luke MacGregor/Time]
25. Bill Gates
Most Famous For Inventing:Windows Software, Microsoft Products
When Bill Gates was starting off in the tech world, there was a major focus on computer hardware. Computers were already a thing but they had not yet become what we know them as today. Hardware was important, so many companies made this a key focus. Yet Gates saw something few others considered. All this hardware was also going to need proper software.
[Image via Today]Gates and his company Microsoft partnered with IBM in 1980 to help in this area, as IBM was about to roll out the personal computer. The infamous “Windows” software launched in 1985, and then Microsoft and IBM cut ties a year later. Yet Gates and Microsoft had already become a massive player. Their software to this day is on over 80% of all personal computers. In 2019 alone, Microsoft reported its total year revenue reached $125.8 billion. This is in large thanks to Windows Software.