In July 2022, Bill Gates announced he planned to give all his wealth to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. "As I look to the future, I plan to give virtually all of my wealth to the foundation," Gates said on Twitter. "I will move down and eventually off of the list of the world's richest people."
Bill Gates was the co-founder of Microsoft and, according to Forbes, is currently worth an estimated $101 billion. Right now, he is the world's fifth richest person, after Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, LVMH's Bernald Arnault and family, and Gautam Adani and family. Additionally, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the world's largest private charitable foundation, having amassed an estimated $51 billion in assets, according to CNBC.
"I have an obligation to return my resources to society in ways that have the greatest impact for reducing suffering and improving lives," Gates added. "And I hope others in positions of great wealth and privilege will step up in this moment too."
This month, he shared he plans to transfer $20 billion to the foundation's endowment; philanthropic work has become his main focus in recent years.
In March 2020, Gates stepped down from the board of Microsoft, choosing to spend more time on his foundation. According to Forbes, the tech scion has donated $35.8 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the Gates Foundation, and now owns just over 1% of shares in the company.
A little over a year later, Bill and Melinda announced their decision to divorce after 27 years of marriage. Of course, this separation impacts the couple and their family, but given the Gates' massive wealth and charitable foundation—, many questions will arise surrounding the fate of the Gates fortune.
The couple announced their divorce in a joint statement. The pair implied that they would remain co-chairs of their foundation, and continue to advocate for the same public health causes. Read the full statement below.
After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.
The exes remain "friendly" but not friends, Melinda shared in a rare interview earlier this year. "There’s still healing that needs to happen. I certainly wish him well. I don’t wish him harm. I think we have a productive working relationship, and I think that will continue."
