Bill Gates to leave only 1% of over $100 billion wealth to his kids after his death. Here's why
It looks like Bill Gates' kids won't get a taste of his full assets.
In an episode of the Figuring Out with Raj Shamani podcast, the billionaire businessman who co-founded Microsoft revealed that he will only leave a very small inheritance to his three children—daughters Jennifer, 28, and Phoebe, 22, and son Rory, 25—from his total wealth after he passes away.
"My kids got a great upbringing and education, but [they will get] less than 1% of the total wealth, because I decided it wouldn’t be a favor to them," Gates explained.
According to Forbes' 2025 World's Billionaire List, Gates is currently worth $108 billion (P6.1 trillion), which means each of his children may still get a significant inheritance amounting to $1.08 billion (P61.2 billion).
The tech genius went on to share how he isn't expecting any of his kids to take over his multinational corporation as "it is not a dynasty."
"I’m not asking them to run Microsoft. I wanna give them a chance to have their own earnings and success, be significant and not overshadowed by the incredible luck and good fortune I had," he explained.
On how his children took the news that they aren't getting the majority of his wealth, he said that he made it a point to explain this to them early on in their lives so they wouldn't take it negatively.
"You don't want your kids to ever be confused about your support for them and your love for them," Gates said.
He continued, "So I do think, explaining early on your philosophy that you’re gonna treat them all equally, and that you’re gonna give them incredible opportunities, but that the highest calling for these resources is to go back to the neediest through the foundation, [was important]."
But where will the rest of his fortune go?
Gates previously told CNN that he plans to donate his money to address social problems. He pledged to give away $9 billion (P510 billion) annually by 2026, saying, "I have more than enough money for my own consumption."
