What is Bill Gates’ net worth?
| net worth: | $113 billion |
|---|---|
| age: | 68 |
| date of birth: | October 28, 1955 |
| gender: | male |
| high: | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| country of origin: | USA |
| Source of wealth: | Founder of Microsoft |
| Last updated: | August 2, 2024 |
Bill Gates is an American entrepreneur, computer programmer, and founder of Microsoft, with an estimated net worth of $113 billion.
Gates’ Microsoft shares made him one of the richest men in the world, and for a long time the richest man in the world. In 1975, he co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen, and the company has become the world’s largest personal computer software company.
Quick Facts
- He was born on October 28, 1955 as William Henry Gates III.
- He started programming when he was a teenager.
- Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded the computer software company Microsoft in 1975 after dropping out of Harvard University.
- In 1977, Microsoft opened its first international office in Japan.
- In 1985, the first retail version of Microsoft Windows was released.
- Gates became a billionaire in 1987.
- Bill Gates married Melinda French in 1994.
- In 2008, Gates stepped down as CEO to focus on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which he co-founded with his wife.
early life
Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington.
He is the son of William H. Gates and Mary Maxwell Gates. The Gates family strongly encourages competition. No matter what the competition is, there are rewards for winning and penalties for losing.
Bill joined Lakeside School at age 13. When he was in eighth grade, the school’s Mothers’ Club used the money to purchase a Teletype Model 33 ASR terminal and computer time on General Electric (GE) computers for the school’s students.
Gates became interested in programming the GE system in BASIC, which allowed him to skip math classes, and he wrote his first software program on that machine—a tic-tac-toe game in which players could compete against the computer.
Computer Center Corporation (CCC) eventually banned Gates from using computers during the summer after it discovered that Gates and three friends had exploited a vulnerability in the operating system to get free computer time.
Four students formed the Lakeside Programmers Club to make some money. After the ban ended, they offered to trade computer time for bugs in the CCC software. At this time, Gates began to learn programming. It was also during this time that he wrote the school’s course scheduling system. Initially, he wrote it with Kent Evans, but unfortunately, he died in a mountain climbing accident at the end of his junior year, so Allen stepped in.
In their senior year, Allen and Gates founded their first company, Traf-O-Data, where they developed a traffic counter based on the Intel 8008 processor.
In 1973, he was admitted to Harvard University. While in college, he developed the BASIC programming language for the world’s first personal computer, the MITS Affair.
However, Gates dropped out after just a few years, not completing his education, so that he and Paul Allen could focus on starting Microsoft.
Profession
Gates’ career started off a bit sneakily. He contacted MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) and said he and others were working on a BASIC interpreter for them. But in reality, they hadn’t even started writing code yet. They were just trying to spark their interest.
After the demonstration date was set, Gates and others developed an Altair simulator and main interpreter that ran on the microcomputer. The demonstration was so successful that the interpreter was released as Altair BASIC. Their joint company was named “Micro-Soft”.
In 1976, they dropped the hyphen and changed their name to Microsoft, registered the name as a trademark, and spun off from MITS that same year.
In 1985, Gates and Allen launched the first retail version of Microsoft Windows. When Bill and Paul Allen founded Microsoft, they had a vision of putting a computer in every home. At the time, the vision seemed too good to be true.
The company was a huge success from the beginning. Just two years after its founding, Bill Gates and Paul Allen opened their first international office in Japan. They also moved from Albuquerque to Washington, D.C.
Although his vision seemed unattainable at the time, it is now a reality in many parts of the world, with personal technology becoming an integral part of society.
His dedication to the company’s success is definitely something to be admired – in the first few years, Gates personally reviewed every line of code they released and would rewrite it if necessary.
Bill was passionate about Microsoft’s work and would remain involved with the company, including his current role as a board member and technical advisor. However, he stepped down as Microsoft’s CEO in 2008. He continued to serve as Microsoft’s chairman until 2020.
Today, Bill spends much of his time on the work he and his ex-wife do through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to improve global health, medical research, education, and gender equality.
People are often surprised to hear him say that this job has many similarities to his work at Microsoft.
In both cases, he brings together bright minds and collaborates with them to solve big and challenging problems.
Estimated Net Worth
In 2024, Bill Gates’ net worth is $113 billion.
Bill Gates’ net worth over time
| Year | net worth |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $40 billion |
| 2010 | $53 billion |
| 2011 | $56 billion |
| 2012 | $61 billion |
| 2013 | $67 billion |
| 2014 | $76 billion |
| 2015 | $79.2 billion |
| 2016 | $75 billion |
| 2017 | $86 billion |
| 2018 | $90 billion |
| 2019 | $96.5 billion |
| 2020 | $98 billion |
| 2021 | $124 billion |
| 2022 | $129 billion |
| 2023 | $104 billion |
| 2024 | $124.8 billion |
personal life
In 1994, Gates married Melinda French (now Melinda Gates) on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. French was an employee in Microsoft’s product development department. She and Gates met at a company dinner, and soon after, Gates asked her out.
Melinda continued to work at Microsoft until 1996, eventually becoming General Manager of Information Products.
The couple has three children: Phoebe Adele, Rory John and Jennifer Katherine. In 2021, they announced their separation, ending nearly three decades of living together.
Despite their divorce, they continue to serve as co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which Gates and his wife formed in 2000 by merging three family foundations and was then the world’s largest transparently run charitable foundation.
In 2010, Gates and his wife, investor Warren Buffett, signed a document called the Giving Pledge, committing to donate at least half of their wealth to charity.
emphasize
Here are some major highlights from Bill Gates’ career:
- Studied at Lakeside School, where he first used a computer (1967)
- Started programming at the Computer Center with Paul Allen (1968)
- Entered Harvard University (1973)
- Co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen (1975)
- Created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2002)
- Bill helped found TerraPower to bring more affordable, safer, and greener nuclear energy to the world (2006)
- Act launches $5.5 billion program to eradicate polio by 2018 (2013)
How does Bill Gates spend his money?
With so much money at his disposal, you might be wondering, “How does billionaire Bill Gates spend his fortune?” Although he agreed to give away all of his wealth (or at least half) by signing the Giving Pledge, the Microsoft co-founder has been extravagant in some ways.
Bill Gates owns an impressive estate in Medina near Lake Washington. Gates bought it in 1998 for $2 million; as of today, the property is valued at over $120 million. Some of the amenities there include a 60-square-foot swimming pool (complete with an underwater music system), a 2,500-square-foot gym, and a 1,000-square-foot restaurant.
He also owns the 228-acre Rancho Paseana estate in California, which includes a horse racing track and five barns.
Gates reportedly owns a private jet, a Bombardier BD-700 Global Express, which is worth about $40 million.
His wealth is managed by Cascade Investment, a holding company created with proceeds from Microsoft stock sales and dividends. Gates has used it for many investments, including partial ownership of the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco (along with several other unnamed buyers). According to the Wall Street Journal, Gates owns nearly half of the Four Seasons Holdings hotel chain.
The company holds shares in several public companies, including Canadian National Railway. Finally, Gates and several other entrepreneurs launched a $1 billion investment fund called Breakthrough Energy.
Bill Gates’ Quotes
“Success is a terrible teacher. It tricks smart people into thinking they can’t fail.” —Bill Gates
“Your most dissatisfied customers are your greatest source of learning.” –Bill Gates
“It’s good to celebrate your successes, but it’s more important to learn from your failures.” — Bill Gates
“If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good.” – Bill Gates
“Looking ahead to the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates
“Life isn’t fair, get used to it.” –Bill Gates
Check out our extensive collection of the best Bill Gates quotes!
How did Bill Gates get rich?
Bill Gates’ net worth mainly comes from being the co-founder of Microsoft and his shares in Microsoft.
Is Bill Gates the richest man in the world?
No. There are currently other people with a higher estimated net worth than Bill Gates — such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. However, he has been the richest person in the world several times (often uninterruptedly), mainly between 1997 and 2008.
Is Bill Gates married?
Bill Gates is not currently married. He is actually divorced, and in 2021, he and his now ex-wife Melinda Gates announced that they were separating after nearly three decades together. Despite the divorce, they still serve as co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
How does Bill Gates spend his free time?
The Microsoft co-founder enjoys playing and watching tennis in his free time. He is also an avid reader and has an extensive book collection.
What do you think about Bill Gates’ net worth? Leave a comment below.
Categories: Net Worth
Source: svlsf.edu.vn