Bill Gates

Founding associations

Bill Gates is recorded as a founder of Xbox Game Studios, Branded Entertainment Network, Traf-O-Data, TerraPower, Cascade Investment, Microsoft in the cited public company records. The person record describes Bill Gates as American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (born 1955).

Xbox Game Studios

American video game company. Recorded founding year: 2000.

Explore the Xbox Game Studios company reference for the recorded cofounders, business context, and company-specific source trail.

Branded Entertainment Network

stock photo licensing company.. Recorded founding year: 1989.

Explore the Branded Entertainment Network company reference for the recorded cofounders, business context, and company-specific source trail.

Traf-O-Data

early predecessor company to Microsoft. Recorded founding year: 1972.

Explore the Traf-O-Data company reference for the recorded cofounders, business context, and company-specific source trail.

TerraPower

nuclear reactor design company. Recorded founding year: 2008.

Explore the TerraPower company reference for the recorded cofounders, business context, and company-specific source trail.

Cascade Investment

American holding and investment company. Recorded founding year: 1995.

Explore the Cascade Investment company reference for the recorded cofounders, business context, and company-specific source trail.

Microsoft

American multinational technology corporation. Recorded founding year: 1975.

Explore the Microsoft company reference for the recorded cofounders, business context, and company-specific source trail.

Research context: Media and creative businesses

Creative-business histories often span a studio, a publishing label, individual works, and later corporate owners. Distinguish the founding of the business from the release of a particular product or production. The public description identifies an area of activity but does not establish ownership of individual creative works or current publishing rights.

Questions for researching Xbox Game Studios

• Which official catalog or portfolio explains the company’s work?
• Does the founding history identify the original organization and any later name changes?
• Are credits for a person’s creative work separate from evidence that the person founded the company?

This sector context is a reading guide based on the company’s recorded description. It does not attribute a particular business model or capability to Xbox Game Studios without supporting evidence.

Research context: Service businesses

For a service business, the useful research question is what the organization delivers and to whom. An agency, consulting firm, staffing provider, or logistics company may work under project, recurring, or transaction arrangements. A short directory description does not establish the firm’s present specialties, customer relationships, or capacity.

Questions for researching TerraPower

• Which current service pages define the work a customer can actually purchase?
• Does the company history connect the founding team to the same organization named in the reference record?
• Which public case studies or announcements help explain the business without assuming private client or revenue information?

This sector context is a reading guide based on the company’s recorded description. It does not attribute a particular business model or capability to TerraPower without supporting evidence.

Research context: Financial businesses

Financial-business research requires attention to the specific organization and service described. Similar names can refer to a parent company, an operating subsidiary, or a consumer brand. A founder reference is background information; it does not verify the authorization, registration, or current services of any regulated provider.

Questions for researching Cascade Investment

• Which legal organization does the official site identify as providing the service?
• Are the founding history and the present operating organization clearly distinguished?
• Where does the provider direct readers to current registration and service information?

This sector context is a reading guide based on the company’s recorded description. It does not attribute a particular business model or capability to Cascade Investment without supporting evidence.

Research context: Technology and software

When researching a technology business, distinguish the product from its delivery model. Software licensing, subscriptions, services, and hardware can describe different customer relationships even when companies operate in the same broad sector. A short public description rarely establishes the revenue model, the ownership of intellectual property, or the customer base.

Questions for researching Microsoft

• Does the company describe a specific product, a service engagement, or a platform connecting other parties?
• Which current product pages or dated announcements explain how the offering has changed since founding?
• Are the founder biography and company history consistent about the original business and later changes?

This sector context is a reading guide based on the company’s recorded description. It does not attribute a particular business model or capability to Microsoft without supporting evidence.

Follow the founding team

Bill Gates’s association with Xbox Game Studios can be researched alongside the company source record. The company’s recorded founding year is 2000. The shared company record is the evidence for this connection; it does not establish that these people currently work together.

Bill Gates’s association with Branded Entertainment Network can be researched alongside the company source record. The company’s recorded founding year is 1989. The shared company record is the evidence for this connection; it does not establish that these people currently work together.

Bill Gates’s association with Traf-O-Data can be researched alongside the company source record. The company’s recorded founding year is 1972. The shared company record is the evidence for this connection; it does not establish that these people currently work together.

Bill Gates’s association with TerraPower can be researched alongside the company source record. The company’s recorded founding year is 2008. The shared company record is the evidence for this connection; it does not establish that these people currently work together.

Bill Gates’s association with Cascade Investment can be researched alongside the company source record. The company’s recorded founding year is 1995. The shared company record is the evidence for this connection; it does not establish that these people currently work together.

Bill Gates’s association with Microsoft can be researched alongside the company source record. The company’s recorded founding year is 1975. The shared company record is the evidence for this connection; it does not establish that these people currently work together.

Public sources

• Wikidata public record Q5284: person identity and public description.
• Wikidata public record Q73801: founder association with Xbox Game Studios.
• Wikidata public record Q390285: founder association with Branded Entertainment Network.
• Wikidata public record Q2632842: founder association with Traf-O-Data.
• Wikidata public record Q4050859: founder association with TerraPower.
• Wikidata public record Q4206709: founder association with Cascade Investment.
• Wikidata public record Q2283: founder association with Microsoft.

Using this founder record

A founding association can remain historically meaningful after someone's role changes. This profile does not label Bill Gates as a current owner or executive, estimate personal income, or claim the person uses AE Tax Advisors. Confirm present responsibilities through current company information.

For the separate collection with published historical growth evidence, explore our growth-profile directory. To add a company biography or correct an association, submit public evidence through the profile update form.