is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and chairman of Microsoft. As chief software architect and chairman of Microsoft, Gates led the company to become the worldwide leader in business and personal software, services, and solutions. At the Foundation, Gates shapes strategy, advocates for the Foundation’s issues, and helps set the overall direction of the organization. Bill and Melinda Gates work together to expand opportunity to the world’s most disadvantaged people. In developing countries, the Foundation focuses on improving health and helping people lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Since its inception, the Foundation has given $16.6 billion in grants.