Microsoft was the first company to make its founder the world’s richest person on Forbes’ list.
Bill Gates, Microsoft’s co-founder, first became the richest person in the world according to Forbes in 1995. His fortune was built primarily through his ownership of Microsoft, whose personal-computer software became a dominant platform during the expansion of the technology industry.
Gates had co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975. The company’s MS-DOS and Windows operating systems, along with applications such as Microsoft Office, created a highly profitable software business. As Microsoft’s market value increased, Gates’ retained shares made him the leading fortune in Forbes’ annual ranking.
The wording refers to the company associated with the first Forbes reign of its founder, not to the first company ever valued at a trillion dollars. Gates remained Forbes’ richest person for much of the late 1990s and early 2000s, although temporary market changes and later fortunes altered the leadership over time.