Editing Bill Gates (section)

== Personal life ==
Gates is an avid reader, and the ceiling of his large home library is engraved with a quotation from ''[[The Great Gatsby]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last = Paterson|first = Thane|title="He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close he could hardly fail to grasp it" (Advice for Bill Gates: A Little Culture Wouldn't Hurt)|work=Business Week|date = June 13, 2000|url = http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/june2000/nf00613b.htm |access-date =April 28, 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080501175753/http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/june2000/nf00613b.htm| archive-date= May 1, 2008 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gates |first=Bill |year=2022 |title=I was recently asked what advice I would give to young people who want to make a positive impact on the world |url=https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6943628912300101632/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619070917/https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6943628912300101632/ |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |access-date=June 19, 2022 |website=LinkedIn |publisher=[[LinkedIn]] |quote=My advice is simple: Read a lot and discover a skill you enjoy}}</ref> He also enjoys bridge, golf, and tennis.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/default.aspx?tab=biography |title=Bill Gates: Chairman |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |year=2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828034654/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/default.aspx?tab=biography |archive-date=August 28, 2008 |url-status=dead }} [https://computerhistory.org/profile/bill-gates/ Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921213354/https://computerhistory.org/profile/bill-gates/ |date=September 21, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Profile: Bill Gates |work=BBC News |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3428721.stm |date=January 26, 2004 |access-date=January 1, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090201075405/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3428721.stm |archive-date=February 1, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> His days are planned for him on a minute-by-minute basis, similarly to the [[U.S. president]]'s schedule.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/bill-gates-he-eats-big-macs-for-lunch-and-schedules-every-minute/|title=Bill Gates: He eats Big Macs for lunch and schedules every minute of his day – meet the man worth $80 billion|first=Mary|last=Riddell|date=October 21, 2016|newspaper=The Telegraph|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161024094352/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/bill-gates-he-eats-big-macs-for-lunch-and-schedules-every-minute/|archive-date=October 24, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=October 24, 2016}}</ref> Despite his wealth and extensive business travel, Gates flew [[coach class|coach]] (economy class) in [[commercial aircraft]] until 1997, when he bought a [[private jet]].<ref name="zuckerman19971027" />

Gates purchased the [[Codex Leicester]], a collection of scientific writings by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], for US$30.8&nbsp;million at an auction in 1994.<ref>{{harvnb|Lesinski|2006|p=74}}</ref> In 1998, he reportedly paid $30 million for the original 1885 maritime painting ''[[Lost on the Grand Banks]]'', at the time a record price for an American painting.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vogel |first=Carol |title=Sale of Homer Seascape Sets Record |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/05/us/sale-of-homer-seascape-sets-record.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 5, 1998 |access-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921213353/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/05/us/sale-of-homer-seascape-sets-record.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2016, he revealed that he was [[Color blindness|color-blind]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ign.com/articles/2016/02/18/this-was-bill-gates-favorite-xbla-game|title=This Was Bill Gates' Favorite XBLA Game|first=Alex|last=Osborn|date=February 18, 2016|work=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219110709/http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/02/18/this-was-bill-gates-favorite-xbla-game|archive-date=February 19, 2016}}</ref> On May 10, 2022, Gates said that he tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms.<ref name="CP24-2022">{{Cite web |date=May 10, 2022 |title=Bill Gates says he has COVID, experiencing mild symptoms |url=https://www.cp24.com/world/bill-gates-says-he-has-covid-experiencing-mild-symptoms-1.5897594 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=[[CP24]] |publisher=Associated Press |language=en |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511011501/https://www.cp24.com/world/bill-gates-says-he-has-covid-experiencing-mild-symptoms-1.5897594 |url-status=live }}</ref> Gates has received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.<ref name="CP24-2022" /> In 2025, in ''[[Source Code (memoir)|Source Code]]'', Gates wrote that he believed he was [[Autism|autistic]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nguyen |first=Sophia |date=4 February 2025 |title=Why Bill Gates buried a headline in his memoir’s epilogue |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/02/04/bill-gates-memoir-source-code/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250205135821/https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/02/04/bill-gates-memoir-source-code/ |archive-date=5 February 2025 |access-date=5 February 2025 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |quote="Well, the word “autism” — or on the spectrum or ADHD — was not ever used when I was growing up. But if you pattern-match looking backwards, even today I have this rocking behavior that’s kind of self-stimming that is a symptom of people who are on the spectrum. And [in elementary school] when I turn in a Delaware state report that’s 200 pages and everybody else is turning in five pages, I was kind of embarrassed. Why did I go nuts over that thing?}}</ref>

=== Marriage, family and divorce ===
[[File:Bill og Melinda Gates 2009-06-03 (bilde 01).JPG|thumb|Gates with former wife [[Melinda Gates|Melinda]], June 2009]]

In 1987, at a trade fair in New York, Gates met [[Melinda Gates|Melinda French]], a recent graduate of [[Duke University]] who had begun working at Microsoft around four months earlier.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fleury |first=Michelle |date=May 3, 2021 |title=Bill and Melinda Gates divorce after 27 years of marriage |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56975466 |access-date=September 2, 2024 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Gates and French became engaged in 1993 after dating for six years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dodd |first=Sophie |date=June 26, 2024 |title=Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates' Relationship Timeline |url=https://people.com/human-interest/bill-gates-melinda-french-gates-relationship-timeline/ |access-date=September 2, 2024 |website=People |language=en}}</ref> They married on January 1, 1994, at the 12th hole of the [[Jack Nicklaus]]–designed Manele Golf Course on the Hawaiian Island of [[Lanai|Lānaʻi]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liao |first=Christina |date=July 31, 2017 |title=You Can Now Have Your Wedding Where Bill Gates Got Married |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinaliao/2017/07/31/bill-gates-wedding-manele-golf-course-four-seasons-resort-lanai/ |access-date=September 2, 2024 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Gammon |first1=Katherine |title=What We'll Miss About Bill Gates — a Very Long Good-Bye |date=May 19, 2008 |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/05/st-billgates/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=May 4, 2021 |archive-date=April 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413124225/https://www.wired.com/2008/05/st-billgates/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They had three children together: Jennifer Katherine Gates Nassar (born April 26, 1996), Rory John Gates (born May 23, 1999), and Phoebe Adele Gates (born September 14, 2002).<ref>{{cite news|last=Scipioni|first=Jade|date=June 26, 2020|title=Bill Gates' daughter Jenn: 'I was born into a huge situation of privilege'|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/26/bill-gates-daughter-jennifer-on-privilege-and-giving-back.html|publisher=[[CNBC]]|access-date=May 3, 2021|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423132647/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/26/bill-gates-daughter-jennifer-on-privilege-and-giving-back.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dodd |first=Sophie |title=Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates' 3 Children: All About Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe |url=https://people.com/parents/all-about-bill-gates-melinda-french-gates-children/ |access-date=September 2, 2024 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}</ref> The family resided in an [[Bill Gates's house|earth-sheltered mansion]] in the side of a hill overlooking [[Lake Washington]] in [[Medina, Washington]]. In 2009, [[property tax]]es on the mansion were reported to be US$1.063&nbsp;million, on a total assessed value of US$147.5&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/blogs/dailyweekly/2008/05/gates_taxman_cometh.php|title=Taxman Cometh|author=Anderson, Rick|date=May 16, 2008|newspaper=Seattle Weekly|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130417180124/http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/blogs/dailyweekly/2008/05/gates_taxman_cometh.php|archive-date=April 17, 2013}}</ref> The {{convert|66000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} estate has a {{convert|60|ft|m|adj=on}} swimming pool with an underwater music system, as well as a {{convert|2500|sqft|m2|adj=on}} gym and a {{convert|1000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} dining room.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/billionaire-homes-expensive-billionaires-2009-lifestyle-real-estate-homes_3.html |title=Photo Gallery: Homes Of The Billionaires |work=Forbes |date=May 22, 2002 |access-date=June 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326042414/http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/billionaire-homes-expensive-billionaires-2009-lifestyle-real-estate-homes_3.html |archive-date=March 26, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On May 3, 2021, the couple announced their decision to divorce after more than 27 years of marriage.<ref name="divorce">{{cite web |last1=Novet |first1=Jordan |title=Bill Gates and Melinda Gates are splitting up after 27 years |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/03/bill-gates-and-melinda-gates-are-splitting-up.html |website=CNBC |access-date=May 3, 2021 |language=en |date=May 3, 2021 |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503203535/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/03/bill-gates-and-melinda-gates-are-splitting-up.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="divorce-nytimes">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/business/bill-melinda-gates-divorce.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513224416/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/business/bill-melinda-gates-divorce.html |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |url-access=limited|title=The Gateses' Public Split Spotlights a Secretive Fortune |first1=Nicholas |last1=Kulish |first2=David |last2=Gelles |first3=Anupreeta |last3=Das |first4=Kate|last4=Kelly|date=May 13, 2021|work=The New York Times}}</ref> ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that Melinda had begun meeting with divorce attorneys in 2019, citing interviews that suggested Gates's ties with Jeffrey Epstein were among her concerns.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/melinda-gates-was-meeting-with-divorce-lawyers-since-2019-to-end-marriage-with-bill-gates-11620579924|title=Melinda Gates Was Meeting With Divorce Lawyers Since 2019 to End Marriage With Bill Gates|first1=Emily|last1=Glazer|first2=Khadeeja|last2=Safdar|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=May 9, 2021|access-date=May 12, 2021|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511000852/https://www.wsj.com/articles/melinda-gates-was-meeting-with-divorce-lawyers-since-2019-to-end-marriage-with-bill-gates-11620579924|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the couple delayed their divorce until their youngest daughter Phoebe had graduated from high school.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=DeSantis |first1=Rachel |last2=Triggs |first2=Charlotte |date=May 7, 2021 |title='Combo of Things' Led to Bill & Melinda Gates' Divorce, But 'Nobody' Wants 'More Scrutiny': Source |url=https://people.com/human-interest/combo-of-things-led-to-bill-melinda-gates-divorce-source/ |access-date=September 2, 2024 |website=People |language=en}}</ref> The divorce was finalized on August 2, 2021, and the financial details have remained confidential.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Kulish |first=Nicholas |date=August 2, 2021 |title=Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates finalize their divorce |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/02/business/bill-gates-divorce-melinda-french.html |access-date=September 2, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In February 2023, Gates confirmed that he was dating Paula Hurd, widow of former [[Oracle Corporation]] and [[Hewlett-Packard]] chief executive [[Mark Hurd]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chung |first=Gabrielle |date=February 10, 2023 |title=Paula Hurd, Widow of Late Oracle CEO Is Dating Bill Gates |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bill-gates-is-dating-paula-hurd-almost-2-years-after-divorce/4097662/ |access-date=July 28, 2024 |website=NBC New York |language=en-US}}</ref> He became a grandfather in March 2023 when his eldest daughter Jennifer, who had married Olympic equestrian [[Nayel Nassar]] in October 2021, gave birth to a daughter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Calvario |first=Liz |date=March 7, 2023 |title=Bill Gates becomes a first-time grandfather after daughter Jennifer welcomes baby |url=https://www.today.com/parents/celebrity/bill-gates-becomes-first-time-grandfather-daughter-welcomes-baby-rcna73698 |access-date=July 29, 2024 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}}</ref> Jennifer gave birth to a second daughter in October 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sacks |first1=Hannah |last2=Clack |first2=Erin |date=2 November 2024 |title=Jennifer Gates Welcomes Baby No. 2, a Girl, with Husband Nayel Nassar: 'The Best Gift' |url=https://people.com/jennifer-gates-welcomes-baby-no-2-with-husband-nayel-nassar-8730009 |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref> In a February 2025 appearance on the ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' show, Gates described Hurd as a "serious girlfriend" and stated that he had "moved past the divorce."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-04 |title=Bill Gates confirms he has serious girlfriend, says of marriage to Melinda French Gates that he'd 'do it again' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bill-gates-confirms-serious-girlfriend-says-marriage-melinda-gates-rcna190590 |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

=== Public image ===
[[File:170217-D-GO396-0147 (32577063650).jpg|thumb|right|With then U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Jim Mattis]], February 2017.|alt=]]

Gates's public image has changed over the years. At first he was perceived as a brilliant but ruthless "robber baron", a "nerd-turned-tycoon".<ref name="Carr-2021">{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-21/bill-gates-s-carefully-curated-dad-geek-image-unravels-in-two-weeks|title=Bill Gates's Carefully Curated Geek Image Unravels in Two Weeks|last=Carr|first=Austin|date=May 21, 2021|work=Bloomberg News|access-date=July 25, 2021|archive-date=July 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723023357/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-21/bill-gates-s-carefully-curated-dad-geek-image-unravels-in-two-weeks|url-status=live}}</ref> Starting in 2000 with the foundation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and particularly after he stepped down as head of Microsoft, he turned his attention to philanthropy, spending more than $50 billion on causes like health, poverty, and education. His image morphed from "tyrannical technocrat to saintly savior" to a "huggable billionaire techno-philanthropist", celebrated on magazine covers and sought after for his opinions on major issues like global health and climate change.<ref name="Carr-2021" /> Still another shift in public opinion came in 2021 with the announcement that he and Melinda were divorcing. Coverage of that proceeding brought out information about romantic pursuits of women who worked for him, a long-term extra-marital affair, and a friendship with convicted sex offender [[Jeffrey Epstein]].<ref name="Flitter">{{Cite news |last1=Flitter |first1=Emily |last2=Goldstein |first2=Matthew |date=May 16, 2021 |title=Long Before Divorce, Bill Gates Had Reputation for Questionable Behavior |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/16/business/bill-melinda-gates-divorce-epstein.html |url-access=limited |access-date=May 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/16/business/bill-melinda-gates-divorce-epstein.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> This information and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in some deterioration of his public image, going from "a lovable nerd who was out to save the world" to "a tech supervillain who wants to protect profits over public health."<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Shephard|first1=Alex|date=June 4, 2021|title=Oligarch of the Month: Bill Gates|magazine=The New Republic|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/162598/bill-gates-oligarch-month-vaccines|access-date=July 23, 2021|issn=0028-6583|archive-date=July 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723014014/https://newrepublic.com/article/162598/bill-gates-oligarch-month-vaccines|url-status=live}}</ref>

Investigative journalist Tim Schwab has accused Gates of using his contributions to the media to shape their coverage of him in order to protect his public image.<ref name="Schwab-2020" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2021 |title=Billionaire Bill Gates Uses Money to Shape the Media |url=https://jacobinmag.com/2021/11/bill-gates-foundation-jeffrey-epstein-divorce-journalism |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]] |language=en-US |archive-date=November 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127212352/https://jacobinmag.com/2021/11/bill-gates-foundation-jeffrey-epstein-divorce-journalism |url-status=live }}</ref> In September 2022, ''[[Politico]]'' published an exposé critical of NGO leadership at the helm of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic response, written in cooperation with the German newspaper ''[[Die Welt]].'' Criticisms included the interconnectivity of the non-profits with Gates, as well as his personal lack of formal credentials in medicine.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Bill Gates and partners used their clout to control the global Covid response — with little oversight |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/14/global-covid-pandemic-response-bill-gates-partners-00053969 |website=Politico |date=September 14, 2022 |access-date=October 16, 2022 |archive-date=October 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017030424/https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/14/global-covid-pandemic-response-bill-gates-partners-00053969 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Gates and the projects of his foundation have been the subject of many conspiracy theories that proliferate on Facebook and elsewhere. He has been implausibly accused of attempting to depopulate the world, distributing harmful or unethical vaccines, and implanting people with privacy-violating microchips. These unfounded theories reached a new level of influence during the COVID-19 pandemic when, according to ''New York Times'' journalist Rory Smith, the uncertainties of pandemic life drove people to seek explanations from the Internet.<ref>{{Citation |last=Wakefield |first=Jane |title=How Bill Gates became the voodoo doll of Covid conspiracies |date=June 6, 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52833706 |work=[[BBC]] |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107090650/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52833706 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Wakabayashi |first1=Daisuke |title=Bill Gates, at Odds With Trump on Virus, Becomes a Right-Wing Target |date=April 17, 2020 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/technology/bill-gates-virus-conspiracy-theories.html |access-date=November 7, 2022 |last2=Alba |first2=Davey |last3=Tracy |first3=Marc |work=The New York Times |author-link2=Davey Alba |author-link3=Marc Tracy |archive-date=December 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209234759/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/technology/bill-gates-virus-conspiracy-theories.html |url-status=live }}</ref> When asked about the theories, Gates has remarked that some people are tempted by the "simple explanation" that an evil person rather than biological factors are to blame, and that he does not know for what purpose anyone believes he would want to track them with microchips.<ref>{{citation |last=Gates |first=Bill |title=Bill Gates' message to Covid-19 conspiracy theorists |date=July 24, 2020 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/07/24/bill-gates-conspiracy-theories-coronavirus-covid-19-social-media-town-hall-vpx.cnnbusiness |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=November 7, 2022 |interviewer=[[Anderson Cooper]] |archive-date=October 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017024649/https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/07/24/bill-gates-conspiracy-theories-coronavirus-covid-19-social-media-town-hall-vpx.cnnbusiness |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sandler |first=Rachel |title=Bill Gates Explains Why He Doesn't Own Any Cryptocurrency |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2022/05/19/bill-gates-explains-why-he-doesnt-own-any-cryptocurrency/ |access-date=November 12, 2022 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112135759/https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2022/05/19/bill-gates-explains-why-he-doesnt-own-any-cryptocurrency/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Religious views ===
In an interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', Gates said in regard to his faith: "The moral systems of religion, I think, are super important. We've raised our kids in a religious way; they've gone to the Catholic church that Melinda goes to and I participate in. I've been very lucky, and therefore I owe it to try and reduce the inequity in the world. And that's kind of a religious belief. I mean, it's at least a moral belief."<ref name="God" /> In the same 2014 interview he also said: "I agree with people like [[Richard Dawkins]] that mankind felt the need for creation myths. Before we really began to understand disease and the weather and things like that, we sought false explanations for them. Now science has filled in some of the realm&nbsp;– not all&nbsp;– that religion used to fill. But the mystery and the beauty of the world is overwhelmingly amazing, and there's no scientific explanation of how it came about. To say that it was generated by random numbers, that does seem, you know, sort of an uncharitable view [laughs]. I think it makes sense to believe in God, but exactly what decision in your life you make differently because of it, I don't know."<ref name="God">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/bill-gates-the-rolling-stone-interview-20140313?page=5|title=Bill Gates: The Rolling Stone Interview|last=Goodell|first=Jeff|date=March 27, 2014|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=April 14, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509035553/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/bill-gates-the-rolling-stone-interview-20140313?page=5|archive-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref>

=== Wealth ===
In 1987, Gates was listed as a billionaire in ''[[Forbes]]'' magazine's first ever [[Forbes 400|America's richest]] issue; he was the world's youngest-ever self-made billionaire, with a net worth of $1.25&nbsp;billion. Since then, he has been featured on [[The World's Billionaires]] list and was ranked as the richest person in 1995, 1996, 1998–2007, and 2009, maintaining the position until 2018, when [[Jeff Bezos]] surpassed his wealth. Gates was ranked first on the [[Forbes 400|''Forbes'' 400]] list of wealthiest Americans from 1993 to 2007, in 2009, and from 2014 to 2017.<ref name="Wahba">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1748882920080917|title=Bill Gates tops US wealth list 15 years continuously|last=Wahba|first=Phil|date=September 17, 2008|access-date=November 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218124744/http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1748882920080917|archive-date=December 18, 2008|url-status=live|work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2018/01/09/heres-why-jeff-bezos-is-not-truly-the-richest-person-in-history/#5671ba7d1f06|title=Here's Why Jeff Bezos Is Not Truly The Richest Person In History|last=Kirsch|first=Noah|magazine=Forbes|access-date=January 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111110318/https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2018/01/09/heres-why-jeff-bezos-is-not-truly-the-richest-person-in-history/#5671ba7d1f06|archive-date=January 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> According to ''[[Forbes]]'', as of 17 February 2025, Gates' estimated net worth stood at US$108.8 billion, making him the 16th richest individual in the world.<ref name=Forbes>{{Cite magazine|title=Bill Gates|url=https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/ |magazine=Forbes|access-date=February 17, 2025}}</ref>

Gates's wealth briefly surpassed US$100 billion in 1999, making him the first person to reach this net worth.<ref>{{harvnb|Fridson|2001|p=113}}</ref><ref name="zuckerman19971027">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/27/business/new-jet-eases-travel-hassles-for-bill-gates.html | title=New Jet Eases Travel Hassles For Bill Gates|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 27, 1997| access-date=May 20, 2021 | author=Zuckerman, Laurence | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120905015017/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/27/business/new-jet-eases-travel-hassles-for-bill-gates.html | archive-date=September 5, 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> After 2000, the nominal value of his Microsoft holdings declined, partly because of the decline in Microsoft's stock price after the [[dot-com bubble]] burst, and partly because of the multi-billion dollar donations he had made to his charitable foundations. In May 2006, Gates remarked that he wished that he were not the richest man in the world, because he disliked the attention that it brought.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bolger|first=Joe|date=May 5, 2006|title=I wish I was not the richest man in the world, says Bill Gates|work=The Times|url =http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/united_states/article713434.ece|access-date=March 31, 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080923194553/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/united_states/article713434.ece|archive-date=September 23, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In March 2010, Gates was the second wealthiest person after [[Carlos Slim]], but regained the top position in 2013, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.<ref name="Bloom">{{cite magazine|title=Bill Gates Retakes World's Richest Title From Carlos Slim |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/|magazine=Forbes|access-date=May 30, 2013|last1=Cuadros|first1=Alex|last2=Harrison|first2=Crayton|date=May 17, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100924110301/http://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates|archive-date=September 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-trends/bill-gates-regains-worlds-richest-man-title-forbes/articleshow/31353120.cms|work=The Economic Times| title=Bill Gates regains world's richest man title: Forbes|date=March 3, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914002942/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-trends/bill-gates-regains-worlds-richest-man-title-forbes/articleshow/31353120.cms|archive-date=September 14, 2016}}</ref> Slim regained the position again in June 2014<ref name="wealthy list">{{cite news|url = https://www.forbes.com/wealth/billionaires |title = Forbes Billionaires list|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111203144229/http://www.forbes.com/wealth/billionaires|archive-date =December 3, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="New wealthiest man">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/doliaestevez/2014/07/15/mexicos-carlos-slim-reclaims-worlds-richest-man-title-from-bill-gates/ | title=Mexico's Carlos Slim Reclaims World's Richest Man Title From Bill Gates | magazine=Forbes|date=June 7, 2014|access-date=September 1, 2014| author=Estevez, Dolia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140901151225/http://www.forbes.com/sites/doliaestevez/2014/07/15/mexicos-carlos-slim-reclaims-worlds-richest-man-title-from-bill-gates/|archive-date=September 1, 2014}}</ref> (but then lost the top position back to Gates). Between 2009 and 2014, his wealth doubled from US$40&nbsp;billion to US$82&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The World's Billionaires|magazine=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/|access-date=November 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129074957/http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/|archive-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref> In October 2017, Gates was surpassed by [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] founder [[Jeff Bezos]] as the richest person in the world.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2017/10/27/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-is-the-richest-person-in-the-world-again/|title=Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Is The Richest Person In The World-Again|magazine=Forbes|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311082026/https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2017/10/27/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-is-the-richest-person-in-the-world-again/|archive-date=March 11, 2018}}</ref> In the ''Forbes'' 400 list of wealthiest Americans in 2023, he was ranked sixth with a wealth of $115.0&nbsp;billion.<!-- Do not update his net worth everyday – stick to once a week at most. --><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bill Gates|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/?list=forbes-400&sh=5cdb2707689f|magazine=Forbes|date=October 2023|access-date=October 6, 2023|archive-date=October 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007142138/https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/?list=forbes-400&sh=5cdb2707689f|url-status=live}}</ref> He once again became the richest person in the world in November 2019 after a 48% increase in Microsoft shares, surpassing Bezos.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2019/11/16/bill-gates-regains-spot-as-worlds-richest-person/|title=Bill Gates regains spot as world's richest person over Jeff Bezos|last=Feuerherd|first=Ben|date=November 16, 2019|work=New York Post|access-date=November 19, 2019|archive-date=November 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116075931/https://nypost.com/2019/11/16/bill-gates-regains-spot-as-worlds-richest-person/|url-status=live}}</ref> Gates told the [[BBC]], "I've paid more tax than any individual ever, and gladly so&nbsp;... I've paid over $6 billion in taxes."<ref>{{cite web |title=Newsnight Interview |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-25873306/bill-gates-us-should-pay-more-tax/|work=BBC News|access-date=August 23, 2017|date=January 24, 2014|url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170823202858/http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-25873306/bill-gates-us-should-pay-more-tax|archive-date=August 23, 2017}}</ref> He is a proponent of higher taxes, particularly for the rich.<ref>{{cite news|title=US Should Pay More Tax |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-28/bill-gates-says-rich-should-pay-more-taxes/4718650/ |work=ABC|access-date=August 23, 2017 |date=May 28, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707113753/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-28/bill-gates-says-rich-should-pay-more-taxes/4718650 |archive-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref>

Gates has several investments outside Microsoft, which in 2006 paid him a salary of US$616,667 and a bonus of US$350,000, for a total of US$966,667.<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft 2006 Proxy Statement |url=http://www.microsoft.com/msft/reports/proxy2006.mspx |publisher=Microsoft|date=October 6, 2007|access-date=February 14, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080219022338/http://www.microsoft.com/msft/reports/proxy2006.mspx|archive-date=February 19, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1989, he founded [[Branded Entertainment Network|Corbis]], a digital imaging company. In 2004, he became a board member of [[Berkshire Hathaway]], the investment company headed by long-time friend [[Warren Buffett]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Fried|first=Ina|date=December 14, 2004|title=Gates joins board of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway |url=http://www.news.com/Gates-joins-board-of-Buffetts-Berkshire-Hathaway/2100-1014_3-5491312.html |website=CNET|access-date=March 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908081751/http://www.news.com/Gates-joins-board-of-Buffetts-Berkshire-Hathaway/2100-1014_3-5491312.html| archive-date=September 8, 2012|url-status=dead }}</ref>