Co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world and the youngest self-made billionaire in 1987. Bill Gates’ net worth is estimated to be around $117.4 billion in 2025, making him the 13th richest globally. His wealth is sourced from his share in Microsoft, along with diversified investments through Cascade Investments in different companies like Berkshire Hathaway and Deere & Co. However, through philanthropy, Bill Gates has pledged to donate 99.99% of his fortune.
Wiki: Bill Gates
| Birth Name/Full Name | William Henry Gates III |
| Birth Date and Age | 28 October 1955 (69 years old as of July 2025) |
| Birthplace | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Zodiac | Scorpio ♏ |
| Residence | Medina, Washington, USA |
| Profession | Businessman, Software Developer, Investor, Author, Philanthropist |
| Upcoming Projects | Focused on philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Active since | 1975 (co-founding Microsoft) |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Raised Protestant/Christian; described as agnostic in later years |
| School | Lakeside School, Seattle |
| Education | Attended Harvard University (dropped out) |
| College | Harvard University (no degree) |
| Marital Status | Divorced (formerly married to Melinda French Gates) |
| Kids | Three: Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe Gates |
Bill Gates’ Net Worth
According to Forbes, net worth of Bill Gates is $117.4 billion, making him 13th richest person on the Earth. His wealth comes from multiple sources including his stake in Microsoft (less than 1%), investments in companies through his Cascade Investments (Bill Gates’ private investment firm).
| Net Worth | $117.4 billion (₹10.06 lakh crore) |
| Revenue Streams | Investment income (Cascade Investment LLC), Microsoft dividends, equity holdings, real estate, book royalties, speaking engagements |
| Royalties | Earns from bestselling books (e.g., “The Road Ahead,” “Business @ the Speed of Thought”) and speaking fees |
| YouTube Channel | Bill Gates has an official YouTube channel (“Gates Notes”), focused on philanthropy, science, and global issues. Not a major revenue source. |
| Luxury items owned | Xanadu 2.0 mansion (Medina, Washington, valued at $130 million), multiple private jets, luxury cars (Porsche collection), extensive art collection |
Bill Gates’ Major Brand Endorsements
He is not involved or associated with any brand endorsements like celebrities or athletes. Bill Gates image is tied to the companies he has founded or acquired, invested or supported through philanthropy.
Major Companies and Brands Associated with Bill Gates are as follows:
- Founded – Breakthrough Energy, Cascade Investment (Owner), and Corbis (Branded Entertainment Network, chairman)
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Co-founded – Microsoft (public face), TerraPower (chairman), and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Chair)
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Owns Major Share – Ecolab, Deere & Company, AutoNation, Canadian National Railway
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Early Invested – Impossible Foods
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Invested – ResearchGate
- Major Backer – EarthNow
Investments and Business Ventures of Bill Gates
The list of Bill Gates’ investments also includes Strategic Hotels and Resorts, Bunzl plc, and an extensive real estate collection. He has a $130 million estate in Washington, a private island in Belize, and the title of largest private farmland owner in the U.S. (real estate holdings valued at over $160 million as of 2024).
Talking about his 1st company that he founded and became a self-made billionaire. Today, Bill owns less than 1% stake in Microsoft but he is the major chair and major investor in other innovative and sustainable ventures: TerraPower (nuclear energy), Branded Entertainment Network, ResearchGate, and Breakthrough Energy (focused on clean energy innovation).
Bill Gates investments and business ventures are guided by a philosophy, balancing the financial returns with positive societal impact, especially in sectors of technology, clean energy, agriculture, and public health.
Philanthropy and Social Contributions by Bill Gates
Through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, now Gates Foundation (co-founded with his wife in 2000), the couple has invested billions in global education, health, and poverty alleviation methods. The charitable foundation is the world’s largest with a $67.3 billion endowment. Also, the trust holds significant equity positions in top holding in Microsoft, Berkshire Hathaway, Waste Management, Canadian National Railway, and Caterpillar Inc.
As of 2025, Bill gates has pledged that he will virtually give all his wealth ($200 billion) over the next 20 years, with the foundation being set to close by 2045. This decision is inspired by urgent global challenges and a belief that Bill Gates have; holding onto vast resources is unjustifiable when you can use it to address the pressing issues.
Already, the foundation has donated more than $100 billion since its inception for initiatives focused on global health, poverty alleviation, education, gender equity, and climate change. The major achievements of the foundation includes helping to create and fund Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund. Through these, more than 80 million lives have been saved.
Gates also supports Alzheimer’s research, and backs technological solutions for sanitation and health, such as next-generation toilets and microbial fuel cells.
Additionally, he is the co-founder of the Giving Pledge initiative through which he encourages billionaires globally to commit a major part of their wealth towards philanthropy.
| Year/Period | Amount (USD) | Recipient/Initiative | Purpose/Impact |
| 2000–2024 | $102.3 billion | Gates Foundation (total spend) | Global health, education, poverty, vaccines |
| 2022 | $5.1 billion | Gates Foundation (annual donation) | Ongoing charitable programs |
| 2023 | $7.7 billion | Gates Foundation (annual charitable support) | Global health, poverty, education |
| 2024 | $8.0 billion | Gates Foundation (annual charitable support) | Global health, poverty, education |
| 2025–2045 (pledged) | $200 billion | Gates Foundation (planned spend) | Accelerated giving, foundation to close in 2045 |
| 2000–2024 (personal) | $60.2 billion | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Personal contributions by Gates and Melinda |
| 1999 | $750 million | Gavi Campaign | Global child immunization |
| 2000–2024 | $4.1 billion | Gavi Alliance | Vaccines for world’s poorest countries |
| 2020–2025 | $1.6 billion | Gavi Alliance | Global Vaccine Summit commitment |
| 2023 | $846 million | Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, Malaria | Disease eradication |
| 2024 | $844 million | Gates Medical Research Institute | Medical research |
Note: All figures are rounded and based on the latest available data as of 2025
Bill Gates Personal Life
Bill is in a relationship with philanthropist Paula Hurd (widow of former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd) since 2022. While his new relationship is marked happy and serious by him, his children are moving ahead with their lives too.
- Jennifer is a pediatrician and equestrian
- Rory is pursuing a PhD
- Phoebe is a digital fashion entrepreneur and women’s health advocate.
He is known for his disciplined lifestyle balancing philanthropy, family, and personal growth.
Bill Gates Records and Achievement
| Year | Record/Achievement | Details/Impact |
| 1975 | Co-founded Microsoft | Left Harvard to start Microsoft with Paul Allen, pioneering the PC software revolution |
| 1980 | IBM MS-DOS Deal | Secured deal to supply MS-DOS for IBM PCs, establishing Microsoft’s dominance in OS |
| 1985 | Launched Windows 1.0 | Introduced GUI to PCs, making computing more accessible |
| 1986 | Microsoft IPO | Company goes public; Gates becomes multimillionaire |
| 1987 | Youngest Self-Made Billionaire | At age 31, became world’s youngest self-made billionaire |
| 1995 | World’s Richest Person | Gates becomes world’s richest man at age 39 |
| 1995 | Launched Windows 95 | Major OS release, set new standards for personal computing |
| 2000 | Stepped Down as Microsoft CEO | Transitioned to Chief Software Architect; focused on philanthropy |
| 2000 | Co-founded Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | World’s largest private charitable foundation |
| 2010 | Co-founded The Giving Pledge | Encouraged billionaires to donate majority of wealth to philanthropy |
| 2014 | Stepped Down as Microsoft Chairman | Continued as technology adviser |
| 2020 | Resigned from Microsoft Board | Focused full-time on philanthropy and global health |
| 1995–2017 | Forbes’ Richest Person (18 out of 24 years) | Held or shared the title for most years during this period |
| 1999 | First Centibillionaire | Net worth briefly surpassed $100 billion |
Bill Gates Cars
Here is a list of Bill Gates’ notable cars along with their approximate values:
- Porsche 959 ($1.7 million): Extremely rare (only 337 made), Gates fought to make it street-legal in the U.S.
- Porsche Taycan ($150,000)
- Porsche 911 Turbo (1979) ($80,000 auctioned): Gates’ early Microsoft days car, auctioned in 2012
- Ferrari 348 ($70,000–$90,000): Limited edition, only 800 units made
- Tesla Model X ($110,000): Gates’ current daily driver, 7-seater electric SUV
- Rolls-Royce Ghost (2022) ($400,000)
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class ($120,000)
- Ford Focus ($20,000): Used as a daily driver for work in 2018
- Chevrolet Suburban ($60,000)
Real Estate and Properties of Bill Gates
He owns one of the world’s most expensive real estates, spanning luxury homes, farmland, and unique estates across the United States, including his iconic Xanadu 2.0 mansion, luxury homes in California and Florida, equestrian estates, and vast farmland holdings, making him a major force in both luxury real estate and American agriculture.
Xanadu 2.0 in Medina, Washington was purchased in 1988 for $2 million, and estimated $63 million were invested for renovations. This is one of his most notable properties. It is a 66,000 sq ft mansion featuring seven bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, six kitchens, a 60-foot pool with an underwater music system, a 2,100-square-foot library, a trampoline room, a 1,000-square-foot dining room, and a reception hall for up to 200 guests. The mansion also have pressure-sensitive floors and automated climate/lighting control.
Other properties includes:
- Del Mar Beach House (California): Acquired in 2020 for $43 million, 5,800-square-foot oceanfront property, 6 bedrooms, 2 guesthouses, and panoramic views
- Indian Wells, California: Gates owns a property here valued at $12.5 million
- Equestrian Ranch, Rancho Santa Fe, California: Purchased in 2014 for $18 million, this ranch is part of Gates’ passion for equestrian sports
- Wellington, Florida: Gates holds an equestrian estate in this exclusive community, known for its horse farms and luxury homes
- Hobe Sound (former mansion), Florida & Jupiter Island Mansion: Bought for $5 million in 2009 and sold in 2018, is now on the market for $23.5 million.
Bill Gates also owns the largest private farmland in the US (over 275,000 acres). The property spans 17 states, including major investments in Washington, Colorado, California, and Florida. Recently, he has acquired 8,080 acres in Benton County, Washington, for $131.4 million. With this, Bill’s total farmland investments exceed $690 million, and all is managed through Cascade Asset Management and Cottonwood Ag Management.
He also owns small properties like a mid-century modern mansion in Medina, Washington, that was sold in 2024 for just under $5 million. And most of Bill Gates’ properties are held through his limited liability companies for asset management and privacy.
Future Plans & Projects of Bill Gates
Further ahead, Bill Gates future endeavors will focus on global health, clean energy, advanced technology, and philanthropy. His vision is clear: transform the world through his efforts in the next 2 decades.
By 31 December 2045, Gates Foundation will be closed after giving away his wealth focusing on 3 main goals:
- To eliminate preventable deaths among mothers and babies
- Eradicate infectious diseases like malaria, typhoid, lymphatic filariasis, and cholera
- Eliminate poverty
Additionally, the foundation is also investing in research related to genetic cures for HIV and to find new treatments for tuberculosis (TB). Other than these, witnessing the rise in life expectancies, Bill Gates aims to slow or stop the effects of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, thus, he will continue funding the research.
With his vision that by 2030, there will be a major breakthrough in clean energy, Bill is investing actively in this sector through Breakthrough Energy and TerraPower, aiming to make energy more affordable and sustainable for all. According to him, quantum computing could arrive y 2028, thus Microsoft is developing a quantum machine expected to debut soon.
