Bill Gates’ Net Worth Reveals How Much Is at Stake in His Multi-Billion-Dollar Divorce From His Wife

As the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates’ net worth has been talked about for decades. Gates, a software developer, co-founded Microsoft with his childhood friend, Paul Allen, in 1975.

Since then, the company, which develops, manufactures, licenses and sells computer software and consumer electronics, has become valued at more than $1 trillion. Along with its computers, Microsoft is best known for its software products, Microsoft Windows, as well as operating systems like Microsoft Office suite and Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers. the company is also known for their Xbox video game consoles and Microsoft Surface touchscreen personal computers.

In 2020, Microsoft, which is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, ranked number 21 in Fortune 500’s ranking of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. It’s also considered one of the Big Five tech companies in the United States alongside Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook.

“I never asked [Microsoft employees] to work any harder, or be tougher on their mistakes, than I was on myself,” Gates said on the “Armchair Expert” podcast in September 2020, comparing himself to people like Michael Jordan and Steve Jobs. “It doesn’t completely forgive it, but at least it shows where you’re coming from, that at least you’re projecting your own values and trying to get everyone to be hardcore like you are.”

With decades of success at Microsoft, it’s understandable why people want to know about Bill Gates’ net worth and how much his divorce settlement will be after his recent divorce from wife Melinda Gates. Read on to find out how much Bill Gates is worth in 2021.

What is Bill Gates’ net worth?

So what is Bill Gates’ net worth? Well, according to Forbes, Bill is worth $130.6 billion, which makes him one of eight moguls to be worth more than $100 billion and the fourth-richest person in the world. Forbes also reports that, over the years, Bill has sold or given away most of his stake in Microsoft. According to Forbes, Bill owns just over 1 percent of shares in the company and is instead invested in a mix of stocks and other assets. In March 2020, Bill stepped down as a board member of Microsoft.

What is Bill Gates’ divorce settlement with Melinda Gates?

Melinda Gates filed for divorce in King County on May 3, 2021, after 27 years of marriage. Bill and Melinda, a former general manager at Microsot, married on New Year’s Day 1994 in Lanai, Hawaii. They share three kids: son Rory John 21, and daughters Phoebe Adele, 18, and Jennifer Katharine, 25. During their marriage, Bill and Melinda founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. The organization is now worth more than $40 billion. The couple announced their divorce in a joint statement on May 3.

“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,” the statement read.

As for how much their divorce settlement will be, Melinda stated in her petition that “spousal support is not needed.” The petition also revealed that Bill and Melinda didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement before their wedding. Though she and Bill don’t have a prenup, Melinda, who called her marriage “irretrievably broken” in her petition, won’t walk away from their relationship empty-handed.

According to the petition, Bill and Melinda have a separation agreement, which details how they will divide their assets are their divorce. “We ask the court to dissolve our marriage and find that our marital community ended on the date stated in our separation contract,” Melinda said in the petition. Melinda and Bill are scheduled for their first court date in April 2022. An Alternative Dispute Resolution Date is set for March 2022. Their case will be reviewed in September 2021. According to the petition, Melinda also filed an automatic temporary order setting financial restraints, which restricts her and Bill’s to dispose of property or make changes to their insurance policies, except as agreed in writing or as ordered by the court.

As for what assets are stake in their divorce (aside from Bill’s $130 billion net worth, that is), Bill and Melinda own a $125 million estate in Washington, a private airplane, a luxury car collection, and a $43 million home in Del Mar, California, according to Business Insider.