From the finance editor of The New York Times , an examination of Bill Gates—one of the most powerful, fascinating, and contradictory figures of the past four decades—and an eye-opening exploration of our national fixation on billionaires that reveals how the wealthiest wield their power, manipulate their image, and pursue philanthropic aims to become heroes, repair damaged reputations, and direct policy programs.

When Bill Gates cofounded Microsoft in 1975, computers were found mainly in government offices, and software as a product didn’t exist. But by 1987, Gates had become the first technology billionaire, and by 1995, the richest man in the world, forever influencing how we think about tech founders, as the products they make and the ideas they sell continue to dominate our lives. But there is more to Gates’s story, and here, Anupreeta Das’s revelatory reporting shows us that billionaires have secrets and philanthropy can have a dark side.