Photos: A Bill Gates retrospective

Gates is no stranger to the upper echelons of global politics. At the World Economic Forum in January 2005, he shared the stage with political leaders prior to a session called "The G-8 and Africa: Rhetoric or action?" (From left: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Gates, South African President Thabo Mbeki, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, U2 lead singer Bono, and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.)