Not many people had one at home. But Gates realised that computers would become smaller, cheaper and simpler in the future. He also realised that people would need software for their computers. Gates formed a company and later dropped out of Harvard so he could develop the new software. Today Gates is the richest man in the world. He has a fortune of US$54 billion and his company, Microsoft, employs over 88,000 people in ninety-nine countries.