Bill Gates secretly spent $1000000000000000 to take over the entire McDonald’s chain

Bill Gates recently reaffirmed his commitment to philanthropy by announcing that he plans to give away nearly all of his remaining wealth and intends to wind down the Gates Foundation by the end of 2045. 

Since its founding in 2000, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has become one of the most significant philanthropic organizations in the world, with Bill and Melinda having contributed a combined $60.2 billion to its efforts.

This massive level of giving has cemented their status as America’s second-biggest philanthropists, even as both remain among the wealthiest individuals globally.

Despite their immense generosity, Bill Gates remains the 13th richest person on the planet with an estimated net worth of $113 billion, while Melinda French Gates ranks 56th with an estimated $30.4 billion.

Their philanthropic journey is not only about the money they have given away but also about the profound impact they have made on global health, education, and poverty reduction.

However, a thought-provoking question arises when considering what might have been if Bill and Melinda had never discovered philanthropy or decided not to sell any shares of Microsoft over the years.

According to Forbes, if they had held onto all their Microsoft shares and refrained from large-scale giving, their combined net worth today would be approximately $1.5 trillion.

In this alternate reality, Bill Gates himself would likely be the world’s first trillionaire, with a staggering $1.2 trillion fortune, even after his 2021 divorce from Melinda.

This hypothetical wealth would be more than three times the current estimated net worth of Elon Musk, who is widely regarded as the richest person in the world with $388 billion, although Musk reached a peak valuation of $464 billion in December of the previous year.

In this scenario, Melinda Gates would be worth an estimated $300 billion, assuming she retained the same proportion of assets allocated to her in their divorce. This would place her as the third richest individual in the world, ranking just after Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

The origins of this immense potential fortune date back to Microsoft’s initial public offering in 1986 when Bill Gates owned about 11.2 million shares of the company, representing roughly a 49% stake valued at $200 million based on the IPO price.

Had he retained all those shares over the next four decades, considering stock splits and other factors, Bill and Melinda together would now hold approximately 3.2 billion shares, accounting for a 43% stake in Microsoft.

The current value of this stake would be around $1.4 trillion. Moreover, according to Forbes estimates, the couple would also have accumulated roughly $100 billion in dividends after taxes over the years.

This cash accumulation alone would surpass the entire net worth of all but 18 billionaires worldwide, illustrating just how massive their hypothetical wealth could have become if they had chosen a different path.

In reality, however, Bill Gates did not maintain his Microsoft holdings. Over time, he gradually sold shares and donated significant portions of his wealth to philanthropic causes.

Today, his Microsoft ownership has diminished substantially, estimated at only about 0.9% of the company, valued around $28 billion.

This stake represents only a quarter of his total net worth, reflecting how his portfolio has diversified considerably through Cascade Investments, his family office, which manages the remainder of his assets after accounting for philanthropic contributions and divorce settlements.

Among his most prominent non-Microsoft holdings are investments in waste management giant Republic Services, agricultural equipment leader Deere & Company, and the luxury hospitality group Four Seasons Hotels.

Melinda Gates’s current Microsoft shareholding is even smaller, estimated at 380,000 shares worth approximately $170 million, constituting less than 1% of her net worth.

Since Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft’s board in 2020 after retiring as CEO in 2008 to focus on philanthropy, neither Bill nor Melinda have appeared in the company’s SEC filings, signifying their reduced direct involvement with the firm.

While this hypothetical scenario of retaining all Microsoft shares suggests an astronomical fortune, it is important to recognize that such an outcome would have deprived the world of tremendous philanthropic benefits.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, renamed simply the Gates Foundation after Melinda resigned as co-chair in June 2024, has distributed an estimated $47.7 billion to charitable organizations focusing on global health and poverty alleviation.

This level of giving is surpassed only by Warren Buffett, who has donated around $62 billion, most of which went through the Gates Foundation.

It is noteworthy that Buffett long planned to leave much of his wealth to the foundation, though in a November 2023 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, he clarified that a charitable trust managed by his three children would be the sole beneficiary of his estate.

Furthermore, in June of last year, Buffett told the Wall Street Journal that “The Gates Foundation has no money coming after my death,” signaling a shift in his estate planning and philanthropic commitments.

Melinda Gates herself has also revised her philanthropic approach in recent years. In 2022, she launched Pivotal Philanthropies, a new foundation to which she contributed $674 million, marking a new chapter in her charitable work separate from the Gates Foundation.

Additionally, after committing to donate $1 billion over three years to support women’s and girls’ rights earlier in 2024, she announced receiving another $12.5 billion for philanthropy as part of her decision to resign from her leadership role at the Gates Foundation.

These moves demonstrate her ongoing dedication to making a significant impact through focused and strategic giving.

Both Bill and Melinda remain steadfastly committed to the Giving Pledge, an initiative they co-founded with Warren Buffett in 2010.

The Giving Pledge encourages the world’s wealthiest individuals to pledge at least half of their fortunes to philanthropic causes during their lifetimes or in their wills. This global movement aims to foster a culture of generosity and social responsibility among billionaires and ultra-wealthy individuals.

In his Giving Pledge letter, Bill Gates reflected on his upbringing, writing, “My parents taught me what generosity looked like through how they used their time and resources.

When the time came to choose what to do with my wealth from Microsoft, I knew I had to follow their example. I decided that the vast majority of my wealth would go toward helping as many people as possible.” His words emphasize the personal values and family influence that shaped his commitment to philanthropy.

Melinda Gates, in her own Giving Pledge letter, expressed a similar philosophy. She wrote, “I recognize the absurdity of so much wealth being concentrated in the hands of one person, and I believe the only responsible thing to do with a fortune this size is give it away—as thoughtfully and impactfully as possible.”

Her statement underscores the ethical considerations that inform her philanthropic decisions and highlights the responsibility that accompanies immense wealth.

Taken together, the philanthropic work and commitments of Bill and Melinda Gates illustrate a profound redefinition of wealth and legacy.

Their decision to channel substantial portions of their fortune into efforts aimed at improving global health, reducing poverty, and expanding educational opportunities stands as a powerful example of how wealth can be harnessed for societal benefit.

While the hypothetical scenario of retained Microsoft shares might appear impressive on paper, the real-world impact of their giving—improving millions of lives, combating disease, and addressing systemic inequalities—represents a far greater legacy.

As the Gates Foundation evolves and the couple continues their philanthropic journeys separately, their influence on the global philanthropic landscape remains profound.

Their leadership in encouraging other billionaires to engage in giving through the Giving Pledge reflects their ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of generosity worldwide.

Ultimately, Bill and Melinda Gates’s story is a testament to the transformative power of philanthropy, demonstrating that wealth carries not only privilege but also the profound opportunity to make a lasting difference in the world.