Ruthless billionaire or benevolent philanthropist? Whatever your take on him, Bill Gates is a force to be reckoned with in the world of business and in the realm of international philanthropy.

Hailed by most as an ingenious visionary and considered by some to be an unscrupulous monopolist, Gates has had an indelible impact on the growth of digital technology. As founder and former CEO of Microsoft, he helped spearhead one of the greatest revolutions in modern history, seizing on the importance of software in the rise of personal computing and becoming in 1987 - at the age of 31 - the youngest ever self-made billionaire. But Gates's second act has been no less compelling than his first.

After leaving Microsoft's day-to-day operations in 2008 to devote himself full-time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a kinder, gentler Gates began to emerge, one deeply concerned with Third World health issues and educational reform. Drawing on more than three decades of media coverage - print, electronic and online - this book offers real insight into the man behind the millions. Essential reading for anyone seeking wisdom from the world's entrepreneur extraordinaire.