'Monopoly King' and 'Philanthropy King'... The Two Faces of Bill Gates [Im Ju-hyung's Tech Talk]

Bill Gates, Founder of US IT Giant MS
Dubbed 'Monopoly King' During CEO Tenure... Faced Antitrust Lawsuits
Transformed into 'Philanthropic Angel' After Marrying Melinda
Interests Include COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Green Energy Investment

Microsoft founder Bill Gates. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Bill Gates, who recently made headlines worldwide by announcing his divorce from his ex-wife Melinda Gates. In particular, attention is focused on the side of philanthropist Bill Gates, who has been active in solving international crises such as climate change, after it was revealed that he recently confided to acquaintances that he "lived a life without love."

In fact, Bill Gates has previously carried the stigma of being a two-faced entrepreneur. He founded 'Microsoft' (MS), one of the largest IT companies in the United States, but while serving as MS CEO, he used all means to drive out competitors and earned the notorious nickname "the devil of Silicon Valley."

Bill Gates founded MS in 1975. At that time, he co-founded MS with Paul Allen, a childhood friend, and they entered the IT industry by supplying software for the world's first home computer, the 'Altair.'

MS began to stand out in the software field when it took charge of supplying the PC operating system (OS) developed by the American computer company 'IBM.' MS introduced MS-DOS at that time, and by dominating the OS market through DOS, MS later developed the PC OS 'Windows' itself and grew into a giant IT company.

The billboard of the Korean MS branch at the time of the release of 'Windows 10' developed by Microsoft. / Photo by Yonhap News

Windows now virtually monopolizes the PC operating system market. In addition, Bill Gates once dominated the internet sector through the web browser 'Internet Explorer,' and also developed MS Office, a business tool, conquering B2B software.

However, the way Bill Gates built the MS empire was very ruthless to competitors. MS forced sales by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, which had dominated the PC market, effectively driving the competing company Netscape out of the market.

This led the U.S. government to take direct action. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against MS for violating antitrust laws. The legal battle between the government and MS lasted for four years, and finally, after the George W. Bush administration took office in 2001, MS reached a dramatic settlement with the Department of Justice, avoiding company breakup.

The company was saved, but Bill Gates' image suffered serious damage. According to the 2009 publication of the Salim Knowledge Series 'Bill Gates,' the U.S. industry at the time described MS as the "Empire of Evil" and Bill Gates as the "heart of the Empire of Evil."

Eventually, Bill Gates was effectively forced to step down from the CEO position in 2001, and in 2014, he also resigned from the MS board chairman position, effectively completely stepping away.

A scene from the Netflix documentary 'Inside Bill Gates' about Bill Gates. / Photo by YouTube Capture

The person who completely transformed Bill Gates, who had earned the notorious nickname "the devil of Silicon Valley," was his wife Melinda Gates. The two founded the 'Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation' while the MS antitrust lawsuit was still ongoing. It is a charitable organization with the primary goal of eradicating global diseases, hunger, and inequality, and expanding education.

Melinda is said to have persistently persuaded Bill Gates for about a year to establish the foundation. At the time of its founding in 2000, the Gates Foundation's donation amount was only $100 million (about 120 billion KRW), but it has since grown into a massive organization managing assets worth tens of trillions of won.

According to the U.S. economic media 'Forbes,' the foundation is currently the largest private charitable organization in the world, with assets exceeding approximately $51 billion (about 57.6 trillion KRW).

Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world, the foundation donated nearly 2 trillion KRW through the foundation for vaccine development. It also actively invested in eco-friendly energy companies to address the climate change crisis.

On February 16, Bill Gates simultaneously published a book worldwide titled 'How to Avoid a Climate Disaster,' in which he proposed 'eco-friendly nuclear power plants' as a way to reduce carbon emissions.

Bill Gates and his wife Melinda (right) / Photo by Yonhap News

At that time, he emphasized, "Within 10 or 20 years, the negative economic impact of climate change will be as severe as the COVID pandemic occurring every 10 years," and "Nuclear power is needed as a tool to cope with global climate change." The "devil of Silicon Valley," once criticized for using bundling to drive out competitors, has now been reborn as a philanthropist and climate crisis solver.

However, the lives of Bill and Melinda, who have focused on poverty eradication and solving international problems, are once again reaching a turning point.

On the 4th (local time), the two announced on their respective Twitter accounts that "We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple," and revealed their divorce after 27 years of marriage.

According to recent U.S. media 'New York Post,' Bill Gates reportedly confessed to acquaintances that "the marriage had ended long ago, and we were living separate lives," and that "there was no love."

However, the two plan to continue operating the 'Gates Foundation' going forward. The reason why attention is focused is whether Bill Gates' philanthropic activities, who successfully transformed from a 'ruthless capitalist' to an 'angelic philanthropist' through Melinda, will continue in the future.