Charles Simonyi ( born September 10, 1948) is a Hungarian-American software architect. He started and led Microsoft‘s applications group, where he built the first versions of Microsoft Office.
He co-founded and led Intentional Software (acquired by Microsoft in 2017), with the aim of developing and marketing his concept of intentional programming.
In April 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-10, he became the fifth space tourist and the second Hungarian in space. In March 2009, aboard Soyuz TMA-14, he made a second trip to the International Space Station.
As of November 15, 2022, Simonyi’s net worth was US$5.2 billion.
Charles Simonyi is the Founder, Intentional Software
- Early Microsoft employee Charles Simonyi is the man behind some of the company’s most successful software, including Word and Excel.
- The developer has a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford, and worked on one of the first personal computers at Xerox.
- Net worth: $6.2 billion
- He joined Microsoft, then a fledgling firm, as employee No. 40 in 1981, and spent two decades in application development.
- A native of Hungary, he left Microsoft and in 2002 and founded Intentional Software, which develops platforms for productivity apps.
- Microsoft acquired Intentional Software in April 2017 for an undisclosed price, bringing Simonyi back to the Redmond, Washington giant.
- He supports arts and science initiatives, including a $5 million gift to the University of Washington for a computer science building in 2017.
