Billionaire couple Bill and Melinda Gates on Monday (May 3) announced their decision to divorce after remaining married for 27 years.
The announcement of divorce by Bill and Melinda Gates raises question that what will happen with Gates’ massive wealth. It is to be noted that Gates is the world’s fourth richest man.
On the other hand, Melinda Gates is one of the world’s most powerful woman.
Sources said that Bill and Melinda Gates would split the fortune. Bill Gates is currently worth USD 130 billion.
According to a calculation made by Business Insider, Gates makes approximately USD 4,630 per second.
Gates earned the majority of his wealth as the CEO, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft.
How much money did Bill Gates start off with?
Before starting Microsoft with Paul Allen, the duo had started a computerised traffic analysis system called “Traf-o-Data”, which helped them earn USD 20,000.
In 2013, Gates said in an interview that he and Allen decided to sold 5% of the company for $1million in order to get a "venture capital company to join our board and give us some adult advice about various things".
A year after Microsoft went public, Gates, 31, became the world’s youngest billionaire.
How does Gates make money today?
It is to be noted that Bill Gates is the owner of approximately 1% of Microsoft. When Microsoft went public in 1986, Gates owned 49% of the software firm – becoming an instant millionaire.
In 2020, Gates decided to step down from the board of Microsoft to focus more on charity work and his foundation, which he co-chairs with Melinda.
Gates still makes money from Microsoft and he has also invested in several other ventures. Gates is also director for investment company Berkshire Hathaway.
Gates is also chairman of TerraPower, a nuclear reactor design company.
