Although he is not to be pitied just yet, it would seem that Bill Gates' fortune is on the wane. The co-founder of Microsoft appeared on the French talk-show Sept à huit as part of his promotion tour in Europe. Indeed, just like many other celebrities, Bill Gates has decided to tell his own story in a memoir.
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The billionaire was on the show to talk about the imminent publication of the first three volumes of his autobiography, entitled Source Code: My Beginnings. The interview seems to have been a welcome opportunity for him to go back over this immense fortune that will have to be passed on one day, but to whom? Find out more below.
Bill Gates' fortune is not what it used to be
From the 1990s onwards, Bill Gates dominated the very closed circle of the world's richest personalities, even occupying the top 3 spot in Forbes' annual ranking of the richest Americans. But his fortune seems to be dwindling, while many businessmen are getting richer. Indeed, after being overtaken by Jeff Bezos, some people began to wonder why Bill Gates' fortune was on the wane. What's going on?
Today, Bill Gates' fortune is estimated at $107 billion USD, or around £86 billion GBP, putting the entrepreneur in 9th place in the Forbes ranking in 2024, whereas he was still in 6th place the previous year. The reason for this decline seems to be Melinda Gates, Bill Gates' ex-wife, or rathertheir divorce in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. At least $5.6 million (£4.5 million) worth of shares in listed companies have been sold to Melinda. All of which contributed significantly to this sharp fall.
His children will receive ‘only a percentage’.
But once again, while Bill Gates' fortune is slightly declining, it is still very substantial. Now aged 69, Bill Gates is beginning to think about what to do with his money. Of course, when asked about this tricky topic on Sept à huit, the Microsoft co-founder explained that, contrary to all expectations, his children, Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe, will only receive a small part of his inheritance:
My children will receive generous sums, but it's only a percentage. If you look at the percentage in relation to the fortune, it's really not much.
While this decision may come as a surprise, Bill Gates believes that he does not need to worry about the future of his children, whom he considers to be ‘truly brilliant’ and who, in his words, ‘are also trying to improve the world through their activities’.
Jennifer and Phoebe, the billionaire's eldest and youngest children respectively, both have degrees in human biology from Stanford University, while Rory has degrees in computer science and economics from Duke University. His daughter Phoebe has also previously stated that she does not want her wealth to define her and wants to make a difference.
However, he insists that the bulk of his fortune will go to something very close to his heart—the charity he and his ex-wife Melinda set up called the Gates Foundation.
Most of my money will go to the foundation I set up 25 years ago.
Behind this decision lies the memory of the values passed on by his own mother:
My mother believed that someone who has been given a lot should give a lot back, so what pleased her a lot was that thanks to my success, I could give back what I had received.
In short, the decline in Bill Gates' fortune is not due to a lack of success, but to choices. Between his divorce and his philanthropic commitments, he voluntarily decided to redistribute a large part of his wealth. And if his words are anything to go by, he has no regrets.
This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.
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Sources used:
Unilad Tech: Bill Gates' children will not inherit all of his fortune
