Bill Gates — Net Worth and Career Earnings
Bill Gates has an estimated net worth of $130 billion as of 2026, a figure that represents a remarkable combination of retained wealth and extraordinary philanthropy — he has donated over $60 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation while his remaining fortune has continued to grow through investment returns. The 2025 Forbes billionaires list marked the first time in 33 years that Gates dropped out of the top 10 wealthiest people in the world, a milestone that reflects both his giving and the extraordinary wealth accumulation of tech peers in the AI era.
Gates co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, building it into the world's most valuable software company and making himself the world's richest person for most of the period between 1995 and 2017. He has since divested nearly all his Microsoft shares, with his wealth now held through Cascade Investment — a diversified investment vehicle with holdings across energy, real estate, hospitality and healthcare. The Gates Foundation, co-founded with his ex-wife Melinda, has $75 billion in assets and is the largest private charitable foundation in the world, focused on global health, poverty alleviation and US education.
Gates and Melinda French Gates announced their divorce in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage — one of the most discussed divorces in the history of wealth due to the complexity of their shared philanthropic mission. Gates has continued operating the Foundation independently. His annual letter, his Gates Notes blog and his book recommendations have made him one of the most followed public intellectuals on the internet, with 65 million Twitter followers despite never having worked in social media.