Heh...
It seems we have confused Bill Gates with Microsoft. Yes, at the start they were one in the same, since he started it all with Windows... although who can figure out why it was able to continue after Windows 1, which was so bad people begged to get their Apples back.
Bill Gates, is a husband, father, friend, humanitarian, and excelent businessman.
Microsoft's technology is weak, but it is a strong company that is able to control its market and the markets of others.
I am not saying Microsoft is good or bad. Their monoplisitic ideas have causes a hole in what could have been a competitive market, but on the other hand by almost standardizing the world's desktop envirment they have provided one single platform for software makers to learn and design for.
If we had a world where there were Linux, Windows, Apples, XYZ, OS2, and who knows what else on every corner then it would cost software makers a fortune to sell a million games as they would have to design for 5,10, or even 15 diffrent operating systems.
Perhaps the world wants fredom of choice in their OS, but they also want low prices in their games (not that we really have that now

but imagine the cost if you had to help supliment the poorer selling OS based games.
Microsoft and their operating system may die one day but that may lead to the standardization on another OS... perhaps better or worse... who knows.
But, you asked how Bill got to where he is today, well, with a little bit of work (maybe hard, maybe not), some luck, a little theft (but who hasn't "stolen" some code and used it someplace else?), and some "good" (good for him) business practices.
Michael Jordan monopolized the basketball court but we call him a super star... Bill Gates monopolized an industy and we call him all kinds of things...
Perspective.
But, my advice (everyone always has advice) is to find your own path. There are a lot of people with a lot of money and they all found it their own way. Don't read their books, don't study them... find your own way, it all starts with the drive and perhaps an idea. CJ
- If chickens could fly would they egg ugly people?