Bill Gates Could Have Been World's First Trillionaire If He Had Diamond-Handed His Microsoft Stock — But Instead, He's Vowed To Not Die Rich

Elon Musk may top today's rich list, but if Bill Gates had diamond-handed his Microsoft stock instead of giving most of it away, we'd be looking at a very different kind of billionaire. A trillionaire, in fact.

According to a Forbes video posted on YouTube this week, Gates would be worth around $1.2 trillion today — more than three times Musk's net worth — if he'd never sold a single share or donated a dime. The clip estimates that he and Melinda French Gates could have had a combined fortune of $1.5 trillion, making them by far the wealthiest couple in modern history.

Of course, that's not what happened.

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The video highlights that since Microsoft's 1986 IPO — where Gates held 49% of the company — he's steadily trimmed his stake over the years while building one of the most generous philanthropic legacies in history. Today, he holds less than 1% of Microsoft stock, worth about $28 billion, while Melinda reportedly owns 380,000 shares worth roughly $170 million.

Still, the hypothetical is staggering: if they'd never sold and reinvested dividends, the Gateses would own over 3.2 billion shares after stock splits, controlling about 43% of Microsoft — a stake valued at $1.4 trillion at today's price. Toss in another $100 billion in post-tax dividends, and the cash pile alone would outsize most billionaire fortunes.

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This alternate reality has its roots in the late '90s, when Wired magazine boldly predicted Gates would become the first trillionaire by 2005. At the time, it didn't sound too far-fetched. By June 1999, Gates' net worth had soared to $72.2 billion, growing at an eye-popping annual rate of 58.2% since the IPO. But instead of clinging to Microsoft shares, Gates diversified, offloaded, and doubled down on giving.

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In a blog post earlier this month, he reaffirmed his commitment to philanthropy, referencing Andrew Carnegie's The Gospel of Wealth. "The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced," Carnegie wrote. Gates added, "People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich' will not be one of them."

And he's stuck to it. Through the Gates Foundation — which he co-founded with Melinda in 2000 — he's given away more than $100 billion, a sum he notes was "in part powered by the generosity of Warren Buffett." 

So, yes — Gates could've been the world's first trillionaire. But he chose to be the world's most impactful giver instead. Rich in capital? Absolutely. But richer, it seems, in purpose.

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