Differences Between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are both known for their roles in the revolution of science and technology. They have enabled individuals to have a comfortable life because of their useful inventions. This is because their inventions have simplified methods of carrying out various tasks thus facilitating luxury. However, the primary difference between these two icons lies in their inventions. Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple while Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft.

Steve Jobs pioneered a series of technologies like the iPod and iPad. He was an entrepreneur; he was the co-founder, chief executive and chairman of Apple computer. Before his death in October 2011, he had enormous success.

Bill Gates, on the other hand, is a successful entrepreneur and is one of the wealthiest men in the world. He has successfully built the world’s most significant software business with his partner Paul Allen. In 2014, he stepped down as the chairman of Microsoft to focus on charity with his foundation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Who Was Steve Jobs?

As seen above, Steve Jobs was a successful entrepreneur who together with Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer. Some of the products of Apple include iPhone, iPod, and iPad. These products are currently dictating the evolution of the modern technology. Steve Jobs was born in 1955, and his parents gave him for adoption.  He was smart, but he did not seem to have a sense of direction as he dropped out of college.

He was quite experimental, and that is how he ended up co-founding Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976. He later left the company in 1985 and launched Pixar Animal Studios. After a decade, he returned to Apple and ultimately met his death in 2011 after battling cancer. By the time he met his death, his net worth was $ 6.5- 7 billion dollars. This was mostly from the sale of his company Pixar to Walt Disney company. He sold it in 2006.

However, if he had not sold his shares when he left Apple in 1985, he would have been worth $ 36 billion.  In 1976, Steve Jobs was just 21 years old he and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer in Steve’s family garage. They founded this venture by selling Job’s Volkswagen while Wozniak sold his scientific calculator. They revolutionized the computer industry by smaller machines which were cheaper, smaller and accessible to customers.

Job’s Contribution to the Economy

• He co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976.
• While Wozniac conceived the computers, he was in charge of marketing, and he was able to boost the sales to $ 139 million after three years of the introduction of Apple’s second model.
• In 1986, he purchased an animation company Pixar from George Lucas which has produced popular movies like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo.

He resigned in January as CEO and passed away in October after battling cancer.

Who is Bill Gates?

Bill Gates was born in October 1955 in Washington in an upper-middle-class family. He was a smart student who excelled in Math and Sciences. He enrolled at Harvard in 1973 as a law student. He, however, dropped out of college in 1975 to pursue his Microsoft business with his partner Paul Allen. They had spent a lot of time together because of their passion for computers.

They started their company in 1975, but it was not doing well. However, in 1979, it was grossing almost $ 2.5 million. He placed himself as the head of the company at the tender age of 23. Microsoft exploded after the development of software for IBM between the years 1979-1981.

Microsoft is still a worldwide success as it has achieved a lot after its conception. In 2014, Bill Gates announced that he would step down as the chair of Microsoft so that he can focus on his charity.

Bill Gates’s Achievements

• He is one of the richest and most successful businessmen in the world.
• He holds honorary doctorates from various universities in the world.
• Bill Gates and his wife have been awarded for their charitable acts all over the world.
• He is set to be a guest star in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

Differences Between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

1. Founding Companies

Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple while Bill Gates was the founder of Microsoft.

2. Background

Bill Gates came from an upper-middle-class family. Steve Jobs, on the other hand, came from humble beginnings and he was adopted. He was, therefore, self-made.

3. Mindset

Bill Gates was driven by numbers, equations, and even Economics. On the other hand, Steve Jobs was driven by studying people and finding out what makes them tick. That is why he invented a device that impacted people’s lives by making their lives easy. Gates’ passion for numbers and equation made him create an OS that took over Office Suites products.

4. Approach

Steve Jobs thought about the future when making his inventions. Therefore, he had a futuristic approach. Bill Gates was working on the present time. Therefore, his plan was realistic when he invented Microsoft.

5. Initial Struggle

In the initial years of invention, Steve Jobs did not do well, and he went into debts because of this. This is because his invention was futuristic. Bill Gates, on the other hand, gained massive profits and rose to be one of the wealthiest men in the world.

6. Return On Investment

Steve Jobs thought about long-term profits while Bill Gates had short-term profits in mind.

7. Age

Steve jobs was born on 24^th February and Bill Gates was born on 24^th October, both within the same year of 1955.

8. Leadership Style

Steve Jobs was more autocratic in that he controlled almost everything in his company, right from the idea generation to the final product release. Bill Gates, on the other hand, was more open to ideas of employees to create concepts for new products.

9. Personality

Steve jobs were more outgoing and a great public speaker. Bill Gates, on the contrary, is more reserved.

Steve Jobs Vs. Bill Gates

Summary of Steve Jobs Vs. Bill Gates

Both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are icons in the technological world. They have played significant roles in revolutionizing the industry with their inventions. Though they have different mindsets, they are geniuses and hardworking people. We are currently benefiting from their work. Apple is dominating technological gadgets in the world while Microsoft is being used by Office Suite software which is quite imperative in the corporate world.

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