Entrepreneurs

Bill Gates Net Worth

Published

2 months ago

Jun 10, 2025

Net Worth:	$108 Billion
Age:	69
Born:	October 28, 1955
Gender:	Male
Height:	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Source of Wealth:	Founder of Microsoft
Last Updated:	Aug 11, 2025

Bill Gates is an American entrepreneur, computer programmer, and founder of Microsoft with an estimated net worth of $108 Billion.

Gates’ shares in the company made him one of the wealthiest individuals in the world and, for an extended period, the richest person globally. He co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, and it has since become the world’s largest PC software company.

Quick Facts

He was born as William Henry Gates III on October 28th, 1955.
He began programming in his teens.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft, a computer software company, in 1975 after dropping out of Harvard.
In 1977, Microsoft opened its first international office in Japan.
In 1985, the first retail version of Microsoft Windows was released.
Gates became a billionaire in 1987.
In 1994, Bill Gates and Melinda French got married.
In 2008, Gates resigned as CEO to focus on his work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which he co-founded with his wife.

Table of Contents

Net Worth History

Year	Net Worth
2009	$40 Billion
2010	$53 Billion
2011	$56 Billion
2012	$61 Billion
2013	$67 Billion
2014	$76 Billion
2015	$79.2 Billion
2016	$75 Billion
2017	$86 Billion
2018	$90 Billion
2019	$96.5 Billion
2020	$98 Billion
2021	$124 Billion
2022	$129 Billion
2023	$104 Billion
2024	$124.8 Billion

Bill Gates held the title of the world’s richest man for an incredible long time, thanks to his stake in Microsoft. Back in 2009, he was worth an estimated $40 billion, and this figure increased drastically throughout the first half of the 2010s, reaching $79.2 billion in 2015. What’s interesting about Gates’ case is that he has long been committed to giving away most of his wealth to philanthropic endeavors. Once owning as much as 45% of Microsoft, Gates regularly sold shares of the company to fund these causes, reducing his overall stake in the company to roughly 1.34%.

Over the last decade, Microsoft has experienced exponential growth, with its market capitalization increasing from approximately $400 billion to $3.55 trillion. Thus, had Gates held onto a much larger quantity of his shares, he would likely still be the wealthiest man in the world today. Despite this, Bill Gates’ net worth has consistently increased in the past several years, crossing the $100 billion milestone in 2021. By 2022, he was estimated to be worth $129 billion. As of 2025, his net worth currently sits at $108 Billion, placing him 13th on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest billionaires. This is his lowest position on the list in almost twenty-five years.

Before Wealth & Fame

Bill Gates was born on the 28th of October 1955 in Seattle, Washington. He is the son of William H. Gates Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates. The Gates family highly encouraged competition. It didn’t matter what it was; there was always a reward for winning and a penalty for losing.

When Bill was 13, he joined Lakeside School. When he was in the eighth grade, the Mothers’ Club at the school used the proceeds to purchase a Teletype Model 33 ASR terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric (GE) computer for the school’s students.

Gates became interested in programming the GE system in BASIC and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest. It was on that machine that he programmed his first software program—a game of tic-tac-toe that allowed the players to compete against the computer.

The Computer Center Corporation (CCC) eventually banned Gates for the summer after it caught him and three friends exploiting bugs in the operating system to obtain free computer time.

The four students formed the Lakeside Programmers Club to earn some money. At the end of the ban, they offered to find bugs in CCC’s software in exchange for computer time. This was when Gates began to study coding. It was also during this time that he coded the school’s class scheduling system. Initially, he did it together with Kent Evans, but unfortunately, he was killed in a mountain climbing accident at the end of their junior year, so Allen stepped in.

During their senior year, Allen and Gates founded their first company, Traf-O-Data. They made traffic counters on the Intel 8008 processor.

In 1973, he was accepted into Harvard. During his university journey, he developed the BASIC programming language for the world’s first PC – the MITS Altair. However, Gates dropped out just a few years later without finishing his degree so that he and Paul Allen could focus on founding Microsoft.

Microsoft

Gates’ career started a little bit sneakily. He contacted MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), saying that he and others were working on a BASIC interpreter for them. In reality, however, they didn’t even start coding it. They just wanted to spark their interest.

Once the demo date was settled, Gates and others developed an Altair emulator that ran on a microcomputer and was the primary interpreter. The presentation was successful, and the interpreter was distributed as Altair BASIC. Their partnership was named “Micro-Soft.”

In 1976, they dropped the hyphen and became just Microsoft, trademarking the name. That same year, they became independent from MITS.

In 1985, Gates and Allen launched the first retail version of Microsoft Windows. When Bill and Paul Allen started Microsoft, they had a vision of putting a computer in every home. At the time, that vision seemed way too ridiculous. The company achieved great success from the outset. Just two years after its founding, Bill Gates and Paul Allen opened their first international office in Japan. They also relocated from Albuquerque to Washington.

Although his vision seemed impossible to achieve at the time, it has become a reality in many parts of the world today, and personal technology is an integral part of society. His dedication to the company’s success is something to admire—for the first few years, Gates personally reviewed every single line of code that they shipped, and if necessary, he also rewrote it.

Bill is passionate about Microsoft’s work and will continue to be involved with the company, including his current role as a member of the board and technology advisor. However, he left his position as CEO of Microsoft in 2008. He continued to be Microsoft’s Chairman until 2020.

These days, Bill focuses most of his time on his and his ex-wife’s work through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to improve global health, medical research, education, and gender equality. People are often surprised to hear him say that this work has many similarities with his work at Microsoft. In both cases, he brings together intelligent people and collaborates with them to solve big, challenging problems.

Personal Life

Gates married Melinda French, now Melinda Gates, in 1994 on the Hawaiian Island of Lanai. She was a Microsoft employee working in the product development division. She and Gates met at one of the company’s dinners, and soon enough, Gates asked her out.

Melinda continued to work for Microsoft until 1996, eventually becoming the General Manager of Information Products.

The couple has three children: Phoebe Adele, Rory John, and Jennifer Katharine. In 2021, they announced their separation after nearly thirty years together.

Despite being divorced, they continue to be co-chairs of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was founded in 2000 after he and his wife combined three family foundations. At the time, it was the world’s largest transparently operated charitable foundation.

In 2010, Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, signed a document they called the Giving Pledge, in which they promised to give at least half of their wealth to charity over time.

Highlights

Here are some of the main highlights of Bill Gates’ career:

Enrolled at Lakeside School, where he first used a computer (1967)
Began programming with Paul Allen in the computer center (1968)
Entered Harvard University (1973)
Founded Microsoft with Paul Allen (1975)
Created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2002)
Bill helped launch TerraPower, aiming to provide the world with a more affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy (2006)
Bill Launched a $5.5 billion effort to eliminate Polio by 2018 (2013)

How Does Bill Gates Spend His Money?

With all that money available to him, you might wonder, “How does billionaire Bill Gates spend his wealth?” While he agreed to give all his wealth (or at least half of it away) by signing the Giving Pledge, there are some things that the Microsoft co-founder splurged on.

Bill Gates owns an impressive compound in Medina, close to Lake Washington. Gates purchased it in 1998 for $2 million; as of today, the property is worth more than $120 million. Some amenities you can find there include a 60-square-foot swimming pool with an underwater music system, a 2,500-square-foot gym, and a 1,000-square-foot dining room. He also has a property in California, the 228-acre Rancho Paseana, which includes a racetrack and five barns.

Gates reportedly owns a private jet, the Bombardier BD-700 Global Express, worth approximately $40 million.

His fortune is managed by Cascade Investment, a holding company created using the proceeds from Microsoft stock sales and dividends. Gates used it to make numerous investments, including partial ownership of the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco (with several other unnamed buyers). According to The Wall Street Journal, Gates owns nearly half of Four Seasons Holdings’ hotel chain.

The company owns stakes in several publicly traded companies, such as the Canadian National Railway. Finally, Gates launched a $1 billion investment fund called “Breakthrough Energy” with several others.

How did Bill Gates become rich?

Bill Gates’s net worth mainly comes from being the co-founder of Microsoft and Microsoft shares.

Is Bill Gates the wealthiest person in the world?

No. Currently, there are a few other people who have an estimated net worth higher than Bill Gates – for example, Amazon founder – Jeff Bezos. However, he was the wealthiest person in the world on several occasions (often uninterrupted), mainly between 1997 and 2008.

Is Bill Gates married?

Bill Gates is not currently married. He is divorced; in 2021, he and his now-ex-wife, Melinda Gates, announced that they would be separating after almost three decades together. Despite their divorce, they continue to co-chair the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

How does Bill Gates spend his free time?

The Microsoft co-founder enjoys spending his free time playing and watching tennis. He’s also an avid reader and has quite an extensive book collection.

Entrepreneurs

Rich Paul Net Worth

Published

3 weeks ago

Jul 24, 2025

Dan Western

Net Worth:	$120 Million
Age:	43
Born:	December 16, 1981
Gender:	Male
Height:	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Source of Wealth:	Sports Agent
Last Updated:	Aug 11, 2025

Table of Contents

Introduction

Rich Paul is an American professional sports agent with an estimated net worth of $120 Million.

As the founder and owner of Klutch Sports Group, Rich Paul manages contracts for almost 200 professional athletes across basketball, baseball, football, and soccer. The company manages several billion dollars in contract value at any one time, taking a commission of between 3% and 5% on each negotiated contract.

Klutch Sports Group

In 2012, Rich Paul launched Klutch Sports Group, a sports agency responsible for managing professional athletes and their contract negotiations. When the company was first founded, Klutch Sports focused primarily on the NBA, but gradually expanded into half a dozen sports leagues, including the MLB, MLS, NFL, and WNBA. They were initially headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, but later established their headquarters in Beverly Hills, California. Based on the most recent information available, Klutch Sports now has locations in Atlanta, Cleveland, Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles.

Expansion by Acquisition

Although Rich Paul initially focused on the NBA, the company’s growth allowed him to expand into other sports. Instead of entering new leagues from the ground up, Klutch Sports focused on acquiring notable agencies that held a larger number of clients from a particular sport. Unfortunately, none of the financial details from each of the company’s acquisitions has been publicly disclosed, but here’s what we do know:

2020 – Tidal Sports Group (MLB)
2020 – Revolution Sports Agency (NFL)
2023 – Elite Athlete Management (NFL)
2023 – Rep 1 Baseball Agency (MLB)
2024 – ROOF (European soccer)

With all of these acquisitions, Klutch Sports was able to bring in all of the companies’ former clients. For the MLB agencies, Tidal Sports Group and Rep 1 Baseball, Klutch Sports added clients such as Alex Bregman, Marcus Stroman, Rafael Devers, and Devin Williams.

As for the two NFL agencies, Revolution Sports and Elite Athlete Management, the acquisitions added a substantial number of successful players to the Klutch Sports roster. This included:

While these clients were acquired through acquisitions, it’s essential to note the existing NBA client list that Klutch Sports has built since 2012. This list includes heavy hitters such as:

Contract Value & Commission

It’s challenging to evaluate just how much money Klutch Sports holds under management, as this would include the combined value from every active contract of all its clients. This is not just limited to team contracts, but also brand endorsement deals. In 2021, TIME magazine listed Klutch Sports among the top 100 most influential companies of the year, reporting over $1.8 billion in contracts under management for clients in the NBA and NFL.

The maximum commission that a sports agent can command from a player’s contract agreement is 4% in the NBA and WNBA. However, for the NFL, the percentage is capped at 3%, and in the MLB, the maximum is 5%. These caps are not expanded to brand endorsements, and agencies typically take a cut of between 10% and 20% for such deals.

Klutch Sports typically sticks to the maximum percentage cap; thus, if their client signs a $100 million contract, the agency can earn up to $40 million (NBA), $50 million (MLB), and $30 million (NFL).

Notable Contract Commissions

As of 2025, Klutch Sports reportedly has nearly 200 professional athletes under management across four separate sports, meaning that a 3-5% commission, even for lower-value contracts, can quickly accumulate. Some of Paul’s most notable negotiations, of course, include his experience managing LeBron, securing multiple agreements valued at over $400 million. At a 4% commission, assuming LeBron earned the full value of the deal, the agency would have earned $16 million.

When Anthony Davis signed a three-year, $186 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, Klutch Sports potentially earned $7.4 million in commission.

Other notable deals include:

Fred VanVleet – $130 million (estimated $5.2 million commission)
Draymond Green – $100 million (estimated $4 million commission)
Jerami Grant – $160 million (estimated $6.4 million commission)

Real Estate

Paul owns a beautiful home in Los Angeles, which he purchased for $4.35 million. It’s a traditional home, featuring six bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms.

Entrepreneurs

Joel Glazer Net Worth

Published

3 weeks ago

Jul 20, 2025

John Mulder

Net Worth:	$1 Billion
Age:	58
Born:	March 31, 1967
Gender:	Male
Height:	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Source of Wealth:	Entrepreneur
Last Updated:	Aug 11, 2025

Table of Contents

Introduction

Joel Glazer is an American businessman and part of the Glazer family with an estimated net worth of $1 Billion.

The family controls First Allied Corporation and the Zapata Corporation, as well as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL and England’s Manchester United Football Club. Glazer was born in Rochester, New York.

Quick Facts

Estimated 16.7% stake in Tampa Bay Buccaneers valued at $900 million
Acquired 68% of Manchester United for £800 million in 2005
Remaining 47% stake in the club is valued at over $1 billion

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Acquisition

In January 1995, Joel’s father, Malcolm, secured an agreement to purchase the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the former owner, Hugh Culverhouse, had passed away in August of the prior year. As it turns out, Malcolm had been desperate to own an NFL team, and in 1993, had put in a bid to bring an NFL team to Baltimore. Back then, the Ravens didn’t exist, but unfortunately, Malcolm’s bid was rejected.

Finally, he was able to acquire the Buccaneers for approximately $192 million and placed both of his sons, Joel and Edward, in leadership positions. Joel was 28 years old at the time.

Thirty years later, and here we are; the franchise remains in the hands of the Glazer family, with ownership split among the six siblings. The exact split has never been confirmed, but just assuming it’s an even split, Joel would own roughly 16.7%. In August 2024, Forbes valued the team at $5.4 billion, which is a whopping $5.2 billion more than their father paid. Assuming Joel has always held a 16.7% stake, in 1995, it would have been worth roughly $32.06 million, and by 2024, it had grown to $901.8 million.

Manchester United Acquisition

In May 2005, Joel Glazer and his family negotiated a deal to acquire 68% of the English Premier League soccer club, Manchester United. The acquisition, made through their company Red Football Ltd, was worth a reported £800 million (approximately $1.46 billion at the time). This would have placed the club’s valuation at roughly £1.18 billion ($2.15 billion).

The purchase initially put Manchester United under a heavy financial burden, as much of the £800 million was secured by borrowing against the club’s assets. It has been reported that this led to the club holding significant debts, owing £60 million per year in interest payments alone.

Although Manchester United is no longer a dominant force in the English Premier League, they were the league’s strongest club for seven years following the investment. In five of those years, they won the league, finishing second in the other two. As a result, the club’s value has increased significantly over the past two decades.

In December 2023, INEOS, led by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, acquired 25% of the club’s A and B class shares at $33 per share. Since then, he’s increased his overall stake to roughly 28.9%.

As of May 2025, Joel Glazer holds a remaining stake of 43%, and the club’s market valuation is approximately $2.4 billion. This would equate to Glazer’s stake being worth an estimated $1.03 billion.

Philanthropy

Glazer supports various charities. His family founded the Glazer Family Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting children in the Tampa Bay area through various charitable initiatives.

Entrepreneurs

Ma Huateng Net Worth

Published

3 weeks ago

Jul 20, 2025

Dan Western

sideres

Net Worth:	$31.4 Billion
Age:	52
Born:	October 29, 1971
Gender:	Male
Height:	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Country of Origin:	China
Source of Wealth:	Entrepreneur
Last Updated:	February 15, 2024

Introduction

Ma Huateng is a Chinese business magnate, engineer, internet and technology, and philanthropist with an estimated net worth of $31.4 Billion.

Huateng is the chairman, founder, and chief executive officer of Tencent, Asia’s most valuable company, and one of the world’s largest Internet and technology companies.

Quick Facts

Holds an 8.7% stake in the Chinese tech company Tencent
Typically earns between $6 million and $8 million in annual compensation
Peak estimated net worth of $65.8 billion in 2021

Net Worth History

Year	Net Worth
2009	$3.5 Billion
2010	$4.4 Billion
2011	$5 Billion
2012	$6.4 Billion
2013	$12.1 Billion
2014	$13.4 Billion
2015	$16.1 Billion
2016	$16.6 Billion
2017	$24.9 Billion
2018	$45.3 Billion
2019	$38.8 Billion
2020	$38.1 Billion
2021	$65.8 Billion
2022	$37.2 Billion
2023	$35.3 Billion
2024	$31.4 Billion
2025	$46.2 Billion

Although almost all of Huateng’s wealth has been generated through his ownership stake in Tencent Holdings, the percentage has gradually been reduced over time. This is primarily due to minor share sell-offs and the addition of new investors. At the time of the company’s founding, Ma Huateng owned 47.5% of the company. Over time, this has been reduced to an estimated 8.7%.

In 2009, Huateng’s net worth was estimated at approximately $3.5 billion. However, in 2012, Tencent’s market cap exploded to over $50 billion thanks to the growth of WeChat, the Chinese equivalent of WhatsApp. As a result, Huateng’s net worth almost doubled throughout the year, from $6.4 billion to $12.1 billion.

Tencent’s valuation continued to increase dramatically over the next several years, reaching $563 billion in 2018, with Huateng’s stake worth an estimated $45.3 billion. In recent years, China has proposed and introduced new, stricter regulations on the gaming industry, which have significantly affected Tencent’s market cap on more than one occasion.

In 2018, Chinese regulators introduced regulations requiring new games to receive approval from authorities before being released. Since 30% of Tencent’s revenues come from the online gaming industry, its valuation took a massive hit, wiping out over $200 billion in just nine months. Huateng’s net worth would have dropped significantly between 2018 and 2019; however, towards the end of the year, the company began recovering at a steady pace.

Tencent reached a new peak market capitalization of $916 billion in 2021, but suffered setbacks again from the Chinese government. The government proposed a new rule to curb the amount of money players can spend on online gaming. Huateng’s net worth went from a peak of $65.8 billion to $37 billion in a single year.

Tencent Compensation

While we don’t have a complete history of Ma Huateng’s annual Tencent compensation, we do have information regarding several recent years. This includes 2020, when he received a total compensation of CNY 58.74 million, equivalent to roughly $8.21 million.

In 2021, reports of his earnings are slightly more transparent, receiving a base salary of CNY 7.33 million ($1.02 million), bonuses of CNY 35.52 million ($4.97 million), plus pension contributions and director bonuses totaling CNY 1.26 million ($176,000). In 2023, Huateng earned a total compensation of CNY 42.92 million ($6 million).

All things considered, it appears that Ma Huateng’s total annual compensation from Tencent typically ranges between $6 million and $8 million per year.