Larry Page (1973- ) - American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur. Co-founded Google, the world's most popular search engine. Coding languages: C, C++, Python

Mark Zuckerberg (1984- ) - American computer programmer and internet entrepreneur. Co-founded Facebook, the world's largest social media platform. Coding languages: PHP, Java, C++

Linus Torvalds (1969- ) - Finnish-American software engineer. Created the Linux kernel, the operating system that powers the majority of the world's servers. Coding languages: C, C++, Python

Steve Jobs (1955-2011) - American business magnate, industrial designer, investor, and media proprietor. Co-founded Apple Inc. with Steve Wozniak. Coding languages: BASIC, Pascal, C, Objective-C

Bill Gates is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is best known for co-founding software giant Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president and chief software architect, while also being its largest individual shareholder until May 2014.

Gates was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1955. He showed an early aptitude for mathematics and computers, and he enrolled at Harvard University at the age of 17. However, he dropped out of Harvard two years later to focus on his business with Allen.

Microsoft went public in 1986, and Gates became a billionaire at the age of 31. He stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in 2000, but he remained chairman of the board until 2014. Gates has since devoted his time to philanthropy, and he is the co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable foundation.

Gates is a controversial figure, but there is no doubt that he is one of the most influential people in the world. He has helped to shape the computer industry, and his philanthropy has made a significant impact on global health and development.