The Century’s 30 Greatest Vendor Leaders

3. Bill Gates

Co-Founder and CEO, Microsoft – 1975-2000

While his reign at Microsoft is now but a distant memory, Bill Gates’ indelible mark on the IT industry still looms large in the minds of our panellists.

Having co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with childhood friend Paul Allen, Gates led the software giant as CEO until 2000. He then relinquished his role as Chairman in 2014.

Some 15 of the channel leaders we approached put Gates in their top five, reflecting his seminal role in creating the PC industry as we know it today, as well as his philanthropy.

Six placed him top.

Leadership style

Gates was a CEO who loved to roll up his sleeves, writing code that shipped with Microsoft products as late as 1989. Few of the 29 other leaders in this countdown could match his obvious passion for his job (see video below).

Low points

Anti-trust litigation claiming Microsoft was a monopoly dogged Gates for 21 years (with the case finally being put to rest in 2011).

Killer quote

“Microsoft was founded with a vision of a computer on every desk and in every home. It’s grown by leaps and bounds and today empowers every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more.” Bill Gates in a 2022 LinkedIn post

What our panellists said about Gates

Martin Hellawell, Chair at Raspberry Pi Limited, Gamma Communications PLC and musicMagpie PLC

“Bill Gates created and established the most successful technology company of my lifetime and one I and all the world’s channel partners have taken great benefit from. That alone would have been enough to make him my number one pick. However what he has gone on to do, how he has used his immense wealth and wisdom for the planet’s betterment, is even more impressive and inspiring.”

Dave Stevinson, CEO, QBS Technology Group

“I am proposing Bill Gates as the greatest tech leader ever. Quite simply he created the personal computer industry and maintained a focus on the channel, enabling so many of our careers to come to fruition. Dropping out of Harvard to fulfil his dream, he has led teams, companies, and an eventually an entire industry. He has headed up one of the greatest company’s that the world has ever created, and in turn has been named the richest man in the world by Forbes on sixteen occasions. He has committed to give his entire wealth away in his lifetime meaning that he will also become one of the greatest ever philanthropists, coupled with his exceptional work on sustainability and climate. With the beauty of hindsight, we can see that so many others in the list are good, but none are quite the calibre of Bill.”

Michelle Cope, Sales Director, Trustco

“Like him or loath him, marmite Bill has a lasting legacy and impact.”

Richard Tubb, IT Business Growth Expert, Tubblog

“The co-founder of Microsoft was instrumental in developing and popularising personal computing. His vision of “a computer on every desk and in every home” created the industry we know today.”

Steve Rigby, Co-CEO, SCC