Charles Simonyi Biography

Charles Simonyi (/sɪˈmoʊni/; Hungarian: Simonyi Károly, pronounced [ˈʃimoɲi ˈkaːroj]; born September 10, 1948), son of Károly Simonyi, is a Hungarian-born American computer programmer, businessman, and space tourist. He was head of Microsoft's application software group, where he oversaw the creation of Microsoft's flagship Office suite of applications. He now heads his own company, Intentional Software (later acquired by Microsoft), 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. His estimated net worth is US$1.4 billion.