Paul Gates


 * Paul Gates is a human from the cartoon portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.



Doctor Paul Gates is an American scientist working for Quantum Laboratories, where TORQ III was built. He was worried that TORQ III was built too smart for humans to control. You see, the wrong people could get control of him.

He is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people and was the wealthiest overall from 1995 to 2009, excluding 2008, when he was ranked third; in 2011 he was the wealthiest American and the second wealthiest person. During his career at Quantum Laboratories, Gates held the positions of CEO and chief software architect, and remains the largest individual shareholder, with 6.4 percent of the common stock. He has also authored and co-authored several books.

Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the computer revolution. Gates has been criticized for his science ethics, which have been considered reckless, an opinion which has been upheld by the TORQ situation. In the later stages of his career, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Paul & Melinda Gates Foundation, established in 2000.

Gates stepped down as chief executive officer of Quantum Laboratories in January 2000. He remained as chairman and created the position of chief software architect. In June 2006, Gates announced that he would be transitioning from full-time work at Quantum Laboratories to part-time work, and full-time work at the Paul & Melinda Gates Foundation. He gradually transferred his duties to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect, and Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer. Gates's last full-time day at Quantum Laboratories was June 27, 2008. He remains at Quantum Laboratories as non-executive chairman.

The Transformers cartoon
Gates confessed his worries about TORQ III to Dr. Andrews, who reassured him that their pursuit of knowledge was absolutely justification for creating a computer capable of taking over the world. Unfortunately Megatron was at that very moment reprogramming TORQ III to take over the world, and the computer began by taking control of the facility and locking Gates in his office. Gates and Andrews rebuilt a visi-phone and used it to contact the Autobots. Optimus Prime led his Autobots in an assault on the laboratories, and he personally rescued Gates and Andrews from the locked office.

After Optimus broke the bad news about TORQ's new programming, Gates professed confusion over how TORQ was controlling machines not designed to be remote controlled, and Sparkplug showed him the Remote Control Circuit Linkers Megatron was using. Following the disabling of TORQ, Gate lent the Autobots the use of a prototype hydrofoil so they could reach the Decepticon's oil platform. Later, Dr. Gates told Prime he probably wouldn't reactivate TORQ III until he could be made absolutely tamper-proof, machines being inherently unreliable unless properly monitored. Then he hastily made a few exceptions to his statement.

Foreign names

 * Japanese: Gates-hakase (ゲイツ博士 Geitsu-hakase, "Doctor Gates")