
Bill Gates is an American business magnate, investor, author, and philanthropist. He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest personal computer software company, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. Gates served as chairman, CEO, president, and chief software architect of Microsoft during his tenure there. Until May 2014, he was also the company’s largest individual shareholder.
Gates was a key player in the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. He helped to develop the MS-DOS operating system, which became the standard for IBM PCs, and the Windows operating system, which is now used by over 1 billion people worldwide. Gates also oversaw the development of many other popular Microsoft products, such as the Microsoft Office suite and the Internet Explorer web browser.
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Bill Gates Net Worth
As of October 2023, Bill Gates has an estimated net worth of US$122 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Gates’ wealth comes primarily from his ownership stake in Microsoft, which he co-founded in 1975. He also has investments in a number of other companies, including Cascade Investments, a private investment firm that he manages.
Gates is a well-known philanthropist, and he has donated billions of dollars to charity through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which he co-founded with his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. The foundation focuses on global health and development, and it has supported a wide range of initiatives, including polio eradication, malaria prevention, and vaccine development.
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Real Estate Properties
Bill Gates owns a number of properties around the world, including:
- Xanadu 2.0 (Medina, Washington): Gates’ primary residence is a 66,000-square-foot mansion on the shores of Lake Washington. It is estimated to be worth over $125 million.
- Grand Bogue Caye (Belize): Gates owns a 314-acre private island off the coast of Belize. He reportedly paid $23 million for the island in 2004.
- Wellington Estate (Wellington, Florida): Gates owns a 242-acre estate in Wellington, Florida. The estate includes a 13,500-square-foot mansion, a horse stable, and a polo field. It is estimated to be worth over $80 million.
- California Ranch (Rancho Santa Fe, California): Gates owns a 600-acre ranch in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The ranch includes a 9,300-square-foot mansion, a golf course, and a working ranch. It is estimated to be worth over $50 million.
- Wyoming Ranch (Jackson Hole, Wyoming): Gates owns a 250-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The ranch includes a 7,500-square-foot mansion, a fishing pond, and a hunting preserve. It is estimated to be worth over $30 million.
In addition to these residential properties, Gates also owns a number of commercial properties, including office buildings, retail centers, and farmland.
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Private Jets
The total value of Bill Gates’ private jet collection is estimated to be around $194 million. This includes the following:
- Two Gulfstream G650ERs: $70 million each
- Two Bombardier Challenger 350s: $27 million each
- One Cessna 208 Caravan seaplane: $1.5 million
- One Eurocopter EC 135 helicopter: $5.5 million
Gates’ private jets are all equipped with luxurious amenities, such as private bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and entertainment centers. They also have long-range capabilities, allowing Gates to travel to anywhere in the world on short notice.
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Yacht
Bill Gates does not currently own any yachts. He previously owned a 44.7 meter yacht called Aquamarine, which he bought in 2014 for $80 million. He sold it in 2021 to an undisclosed buyer for an estimated $120 million.
Gates has said that he no longer needs a yacht because he can use his private jets to travel to the same places more quickly and efficiently. He has also said that he is concerned about the environmental impact of yachts.
While Gates no longer owns a yacht, he is still interested in the yachting industry. He is an investor in the yachting company Oceanco, which builds some of the largest and most luxurious yachts in the world.
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Philanthropy
Bill Gates is one of the most generous philanthropists in the world. He has donated over $59 billion to charity through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charitable foundation.
The foundation focuses on global health and development, and it has supported a wide range of initiatives, including:
- Polio eradication: The foundation has played a major role in the global effort to eradicate polio. It has donated billions of dollars to support vaccination campaigns and surveillance efforts. As a result of its work, polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988.
- Malaria prevention: The foundation has also donated billions of dollars to support malaria prevention efforts, such as the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the development of new malaria vaccines. As a result of its work, malaria deaths have decreased by over 50% since 2000.
- Vaccine development: The foundation has invested heavily in the development of new vaccines for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. It has also supported the development of new vaccine delivery systems, such as microneedle patches and oral vaccines.
- Global education: The foundation has also donated billions of dollars to support global education initiatives, such as the expansion of access to quality education in developing countries and the improvement of teaching quality.
- Women’s empowerment: The foundation also supports a number of initiatives to empower women and girls around the world. These initiatives include providing access to education and healthcare, promoting economic opportunity, and combating violence against women.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been praised for its innovative and effective approach to philanthropy. It has also been credited with helping to make significant progress on a number of global health and development challenges.
In addition to his work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates has also made personal donations to a number of other charitable causes, including:
- The University of Washington: Gates has donated over $1 billion to his alma mater, the University of Washington. His donations have supported a variety of initiatives, including the construction of new buildings, the creation of new academic programs, and the provision of financial aid to students.
- The Breakthrough Prize Foundation: Gates is one of the co-founders of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, which awards prizes to scientists who make significant contributions to mathematics, physics, and life sciences. The foundation has awarded over $250 million in prizes since 2010.
- The Giving Pledge: Gates is also a co-founder of the Giving Pledge, a campaign that encourages wealthy individuals to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to charity during their lifetimes or in their wills. Over 200 billionaires have signed the Giving Pledge, including Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, and Mark Zuckerberg.
Bill Gates is a role model for philanthropists around the world. His generosity and commitment to making the world a better place have inspired countless others to give back to their communities.
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Early Life and Education
Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. His parents were William H. Gates Sr., a prominent lawyer, and Mary Maxwell Gates, a schoolteacher and philanthropist.
Gates began showing an interest in computers at a young age. When he was 13, he started attending Lakeside School, a private school in Seattle. Lakeside had a teletype machine that was connected to a computer at the University of Washington, and Gates quickly became obsessed with it. He would spend hours at the teletype machine, writing programs and learning about computers.
In 1973, Gates graduated from Lakeside School and enrolled at Harvard University. At Harvard, he majored in mathematics and applied sciences. He also continued to pursue his interest in computers. He helped to develop a new programming language called BASIC, and he also worked on a number of other computer projects.
In 1975, Gates dropped out of Harvard to start a company called Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen. Microsoft’s first product was a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800, one of the first personal computers. The interpreter was a huge success, and it helped to launch Microsoft as a major player in the computer industry.
Gates and Allen continued to develop new software products for personal computers, and Microsoft quickly became one of the leading software companies in the world. In 1981, Microsoft released MS-DOS, which became the standard operating system for IBM PCs. MS-DOS was a huge success, and it helped to make personal computers more accessible to the general public.
In 1985, Microsoft released Windows, a graphical user interface for MS-DOS. Windows made personal computers easier to use, and it helped to make them even more popular. Today, Windows is the most popular operating system in the world.
Gates continued to serve as CEO of Microsoft until 2000, when he stepped down to focus on his philanthropic work. He remains the chairman of Microsoft, and he is still one of the most influential people in the technology industry.
Gates is also a well-known philanthropist. In 2000, he co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. The foundation is the world’s largest private charitable foundation, and it has donated billions of dollars to support a variety of causes, including global health, education, and development.
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Sisters
Bill Gates has two sisters: Kristi (Kristianne) and Libby.
- Kristi Gates is the oldest of the three siblings. She is a philanthropist and environmental activist. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Libby Gates is the youngest of the three siblings. She is a teacher and author. She is also the founder of the Libby Gates Fund, which supports educational programs for children in developing countries.
Bill Gates has said that his sisters have had a profound influence on his life. He has credited them with teaching him the importance of family, community, and giving back.
Here is a brief overview of each of Bill Gates’ sisters:
Kristi Gates
Kristi Gates was born in 1953. She graduated from Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington, and went on to earn a degree in psychology from Harvard University. After college, she worked as a teacher and social worker. She is also a certified yoga instructor.
Kristi Gates is a passionate advocate for social justice and environmental protection. She is a member of the board of directors of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she focuses on issues such as global health, education, and climate change. She is also a founding member of the Giving Pledge, a campaign that encourages wealthy individuals to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to charity during their lifetimes or in their wills.
Kristi Gates is a married mother of two. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Libby Gates
Libby Gates was born in 1958. She graduated from Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington, and went on to earn a degree in education from Stanford University. After college, she worked as a teacher in both public and private schools.
In 1994, Libby Gates founded the Libby Gates Fund, a non-profit organization that supports educational programs for children in developing countries. The fund has provided funding for schools, libraries, and teacher training programs in over 20 countries.
Libby Gates is the author of several books on education, including The Libby Gates Fund: A Legacy of Education and Teaching Our Children Well: A Guide for Parents and Teachers.
Libby Gates is a married mother of three. She lives in Medina, Washington.
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Wife
Bill Gates’ wife was Melinda French Gates. They were married from 1994 to 2021.
Melinda French Gates is a computer scientist, philanthropist, and author. She is the co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charitable foundation. She is also a member of the board of directors of several other non-profit organizations, including the Ford Foundation and the Pivotal Ventures.
Melinda French Gates is a passionate advocate for global health, education, and women’s empowerment. She has played a leading role in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s efforts to eradicate polio, prevent malaria, and develop new vaccines for diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
In May 2021, Bill and Melinda French Gates announced their divorce. They said that they had “made the decision to end our marriage” after “a great deal of thought and discussion.” They also said that they remained “committed to working together” on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Girlfriend
Bill Gates is reportedly dating Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd. They have been seen together on several occasions, including at sporting events and social gatherings.
Paula Hurd is a former tech industry sales and alliance management worker at the NCR Corporation. She worked there for 17 years, after studying marketing at the University of Texas at Austin.
Hurd is also a philanthropist and tennis lover. She is on the board of directors of the Mark Hurd Innovation Fund and the Northern California Tennis Association.
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Children
Bill Gates has three children with his ex-wife Melinda French Gates:
- Jennifer Katharine Gates (born 1996)
- Rory John Gates (born 1999)
- Phoebe Adele Gates (born 2002)
Bill Gates has said that his children are his top priority. He has also said that he wants to raise them to be independent and to make a difference in the world.
Jennifer Gates is a medical student at Stanford University. She is also a co-founder of Evergate Stables, a show jumping stable and training facility.
Rory Gates is a student at Duke University. He is also a co-founder of the Gates Notes Philanthropic Fund, a non-profit organization that supports a variety of causes, including climate change, global health, and education.
Phoebe Gates is a student at Stanford University. She is also a passionate advocate for mental health awareness.
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FAQs
How much is Bill Gates worth?
As of 2023, Bill Gates’s net worth is estimated to be over $122 billion.