Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest software company and one of the most valuable corporations on Earth, was co-founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As Chairman and CEO from 1975 to 2000, Gates transformed a tiny startup into a $600 billion technology empire that put a personal computer on virtually every desk in the world. With a net worth of approximately $107.7 billion as of 2026, Bill Gates remains one of the wealthiest people on the planet — ranked 18th globally by Forbes. Today, Gates devotes most of his time to the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charitable organization, and Breakthrough Energy, his clean-energy investment initiative.

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Bill Gates – Quick Facts

Microsoft Competitors

During Bill Gates’ tenure and today, Microsoft operates in the fiercely competitive technology sector. The key competitors of Microsoft include:

• Apple Inc. (macOS, iPhone, iCloud) – world’s most valuable company
• Alphabet / Google (Google Cloud, Android, Workspace) – search and cloud rival
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) – leading cloud infrastructure provider
• Oracle Corporation – enterprise database and cloud services
• IBM (Red Hat) – enterprise software, hybrid cloud, and AI
• Salesforce – CRM and enterprise cloud platform
• Adobe – creative and document software
• Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) – Xbox gaming competitor

Bill Gates Net Worth 2026 – Microsoft CEO Salary

As of 2026, Bill Gates net worth is estimated at approximately $107.7 billion USD, according to the Forbes Billionaires Index. This places him as the 18th-wealthiest individual in the world. Gates’ fortune is primarily managed through Cascade Investment LLC, his private holding company founded in 1994, which oversees more than $115 billion in assets across diverse sectors including energy, hospitality, agriculture, and financial services.

Gates’ wealth portfolio includes a controlling 71% stake in Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, approximately 34% of Republic Services, and nearly 25% of Ecolab. He is also the largest private owner of farmland in the United States, with approximately 242,000 acres across 19 states. His real estate holdings alone are valued at more than $166 million, including his famous 66,000-square-foot Xanadu 2.0 estate on the shores of Lake Washington in Medina, Washington.

It is worth noting that Gates’ net worth would be significantly higher had he not donated tens of billions of dollars to charity. He has given over $59 billion to the Gates Foundation since its inception and has pledged to eventually donate the majority of his remaining wealth.

Bill Gates CEO Compensation at Microsoft (Final Year – 2000)

Microsoft Net Worth 2026 – Is Microsoft Profitable?

Yes, Microsoft is one of the most profitable companies in history. Under current CEO Satya Nadella, the company Bill Gates co-founded has grown into a $2.9 trillion technology giant — the 4th most valuable company in the world by market capitalization.

Microsoft Financial Summary (FY2025)

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Bill Gates Email Address | Contact Information

Below are the official contact details and social media profiles for Bill Gates:

Career & Education – Company, University, & College

Bill Gates’ career is one of the most extraordinary in business history — from a teenage programmer to the world’s youngest self-made billionaire (at age 31 in 1987), to the co-founder of the world’s largest software company, and finally to one of history’s most generous philanthropists. Below is his complete career timeline:

Bill Gates Career Timeline

At just 13 years old, Bill Gates wrote his first software program — a tic-tac-toe game — at Lakeside School in Seattle, where the Mothers’ Club had purchased a teletype terminal connected to a mainframe computer. Gates and his schoolmate Paul Allen became inseparable in their obsession with programming. In 1972, the pair co-founded Traf-O-Data, a venture that analyzed traffic-counter data for engineers.

In 1975, after seeing the Altair 8800 microcomputer on the cover of Popular Electronics, Gates dropped out of Harvard to co-found Microsoft (originally “Micro-Soft”) with Allen. The company’s first product was a BASIC interpreter for the Altair. Gates’ pivotal 1980 deal to license MS-DOS to IBM — while retaining the copyright — proved to be one of the shrewdest business moves in history, creating the foundation for Microsoft’s operating system monopoly throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Under Gates’ leadership, Microsoft launched Windows (1985), Office (1989), Internet Explorer (1995), and went public in 1986 at $21 per share, making Gates a billionaire by age 31. He stepped down as CEO in January 2000, handing the reins to his Harvard friend Steve Ballmer, and served as Chief Software Architect until 2006. Gates gradually reduced his Microsoft role over the following years, stepping down as chairman in 2014 and leaving the board entirely in March 2020.

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Education

Bill Gates Wiki – Age, Family, & More

William Henry Gates III was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, into a prominent family. His father, William H. Gates Sr., was a prominent attorney, and his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates, served on the boards of the United Way of America and First Interstate BancSystem. Gates has two sisters: elder sister Kristianne (Kristi) and younger sister Libby. His parents reportedly hoped he would become a lawyer.

Gates married Melinda French on January 1, 1994, on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The couple had three children: Jennifer Katharine (born 1996), who earned her medical degree from Mount Sinai and is now a pediatric resident; Rory John (born 1999), who is pursuing a PhD at the Institute of World Politics; and Phoebe Adele (born 2002), an entrepreneur who co-founded Phia, an AI-powered fashion platform. Bill and Melinda divorced in August 2021 after 27 years of marriage.

Gates is an avid reader and has said his parents once had to ban him from bringing books to the dinner table. He shares his reading recommendations on his blog, GatesNotes.com. He authored three books: The Road Ahead (1995), Business @ the Speed of Thought (1999), and How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (2021).

Notable Achievements & Recognitions

• Forbes #1 Richest Person — Held the title for 18 of 23 years between 1995 and 2017
• Presidential Medal of Freedom — Awarded by President Obama in 2016 (alongside Melinda)
• Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) — Honored by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005
• National Medal of Technology — Received in 1992 alongside Paul Allen
• Time Person of the Year — Named in 2005 (alongside Melinda and Bono)
• The Giving Pledge — Co-founded with Warren Buffett in 2010, committing billionaires to give away the majority of their wealth
• Padma Bhushan — India’s third-highest civilian honor, awarded in 2015

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About Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Co-founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975, Microsoft has grown from a two-person startup into one of the world’s most valuable companies, with a market capitalization of approximately $2.92 trillion as of early 2026.

Microsoft trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol MSFT. The company employs approximately 228,000 people worldwide and operates in over 190 countries. Under current CEO Satya Nadella, the company has pivoted aggressively into cloud computing and artificial intelligence, with Azure becoming one of the world’s leading cloud platforms and a $49 billion investment in OpenAI positioning Microsoft at the forefront of the AI revolution.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is the current CEO of Microsoft?

The current CEO of Microsoft is Satya Nadella, who was appointed as CEO on February 4, 2014. Bill Gates served as Microsoft’s CEO from its founding in 1975 until January 2000, when he handed the role to Steve Ballmer.

What is Bill Gates’ net worth in 2026?

As of 2026, Bill Gates’ net worth is estimated at approximately $107.7 billion USD, according to the Forbes Billionaires Index. This makes him the 18th-wealthiest person in the world. His wealth is managed through Cascade Investment LLC and spans Microsoft stock, real estate, farmland, and diversified investments.

What was Bill Gates’ salary as Microsoft CEO?

Bill Gates’ formal salary at Microsoft was famously modest. In his final year as CEO (2000), his total compensation was approximately $639,401, including a $439,401 base salary and a $200,000 bonus. Gates never took stock options — his wealth came entirely from his co-founder ownership stake in the company.

What is Bill Gates’ email address?

Bill Gates can be reached at [email protected] via the Gates Foundation. He is also active on Twitter/X at @BillGates and shares his thoughts on his personal blog GatesNotes.com. The Gates Foundation general email is [email protected].

Why did Bill Gates leave Microsoft?

Bill Gates stepped down as CEO in January 2000 to focus on product strategy as Chief Software Architect. He gradually reduced his Microsoft role — stepping down as chairman in 2014 and leaving the board entirely in March 2020 — to devote his time to the Gates Foundation, which focuses on global health, education, and poverty reduction, and Breakthrough Energy, his clean-energy initiative.

How much has Bill Gates donated to charity?

Bill Gates has donated over $59 billion to the Gates Foundation since its inception in 2000, making him one of the most generous philanthropists in history. Alongside Warren Buffett, he co-founded The Giving Pledge in 2010, which has secured commitments from over 230 billionaires worldwide to give away the majority of their wealth.

Article last updated:February 2026March 2, 2026