Bill Gates has, understandably, pondered what will happen to his immense fortune when he’s gone. And the Microsoft co-founder has gone further by revealing his plans during a low-key but interesting chat on the Figuring Out with Raj Shamani podcast – where he got surprisingly personal about what his children can expect from his $102.2 billion estate.
Gates, who’ll turn 70 in October, made it clear that his kids – Jennifer (28), Rory (25), and Phoebe (22) – have already received what he sees as the best inheritance: an elite education, opportunities, and a sense of purpose. And they won’t be cashing in on the vast majority of his wealth when he dies.
Why Gates won’t build a dynasty
“It’s not a dynasty,” Gates said rather bluntly in the discussion. “I’m not asking them to run Microsoft.”
And he’s not joking. Despite currently being the 13th richest person on Earth, Gates said his children will receive less than 1% of his total fortune. Still, when the pie is over $100 billion, a “small” slice ends up being a sizeable portion, likely around a billion each.
His reasoning? Giving his kids too much money would do more harm than good. “I decided it wouldn’t be a favor to them,” he said. Instead, he wants them to forge their own paths – “to have their own earnings and success,” as he put it, and not live in the long shadow of the Microsoft legacy.
Gates said he’s had open conversations with his children from early on. “You don’t want your kids to ever be confused about your support for them and your love for them,” he explained. It’s also why he’s been clear about equality between the siblings, and why none of them should expect to control the Gates empire, something they appear to be on board with.
Gates Foundation remains the focus
The bulk of Gates’ money will continue flowing into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which he co-founded in 2000 with his then-wife Melinda French Gates. He reiterated in the chat that, unlike several of the mega-rich fraternity, this is the “highest calling” for his wealth, returning resources “to the neediest.”
That commitment isn’t theoretical. In 2024, Gates told CNN he was giving away money at a rate of $9 billion a year, and hopes to no longer appear on the billionaire rankings within two decades. “I have more than enough money for my own consumption,” he said.
Maybe that’s the type of businessman and human we should have in the White House.
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