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Microsoft’s Legacy: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

As a Microsoft partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics GP software solutions for accounting and ERP, when I think about Microsoft, I think about software. Because it’s what we live and breathe every day. But Microsoft is so much more than that.

It all started with a dream: a computer on every desk and in every home. That was 1975. Fast forward 40 years and stop to think about it. How many offices do you walk into today where you don’t find a computer on every desk? And how many homes do you know who don’t have a device, be it a desk-top computer, a laptop or a tablet? I’ve known some staunch Luddite holdouts who have in the recent past moved into the 21st century with such a purchase.

I also know 2-year olds who are more comfortable on tablets than many adults!

But back to my point, it does not end there. Bill Gates is no longer the CEO of Microsoft. But his missions and dreams have only diversified and grown ever larger. There is, for example, a program called "Everyone starts somewhere.....," that encourages kids to try coding. It’s an effort geared toward helping kids everywhere meet their potential and envision a bright future.

Yet another program is called the YouthSpark Initiative. It’s a global effort that involves thousands of Microsoft employees who travel the world encouraging and inspiring kids to code - from Redmond to Riyadh to Rome.

And I’d be remiss if I did not mention the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with an endowment of $42.3 billion dollars. Since its inception, it has issued $31.6 billion dollars in grant payments. One rather unusual project is a clean water initiative that is quite literally turning poop into potable water (and into electricity, too). If you’re reading this in just about any corner of the developed world, you may not understand the importance and impact that such a project would have in developing and third world countries.

Are you curious? You can find additional details, images, and source material in a recent blog on the Altico Advisors Web site: Microsoft and Beyond: The house that Bill built. You’ll even see a photo of Bill Gates himself, drinking water that was derived from poop.

By Marcia Nita Doron, Altico Advisors, Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM Partner serving New Hampshire (NH) and beyond.

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