Speaking on Desert Island Discs Gates said his parents taught him the value of "giving back" to society, a lesson developed into a philanthropic philosophy culminating in he and his wife Melinda setting aside much of their vast fortune to help the world's poor.

The 60 year old also opened up to presenter Kirsty Young on the BBC Radio 4 show about how "fanatical" he was in the early days of Microsoft, and the relationship he had with Apple founder Steve Jobs that was both competitive and mutually supportive.

Talking about his relationship with his parents - his father was a successful lawyer, his mother a teacher who sat on a number of corporate boards - he said: "They set a very good example of being engaged in giving back."