# What is Bill Gates worth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 29, 1999, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584 "1999-09-29T02:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/1 "1999-09-29T02:23:00Z")
I read, in various places, he is worth anywhere from 11 to 45 billion. What is the real figure? Does anyone know? I guess the way I want to qualify this question is to say. If Bill Gates said today. I want to sit on a beach and never work again, just live off my money. If he sold all his stocks and bonds and whatever and put them in one bank account (no 401K’s IRA whatever just a plain old account - and yes I know he’d never do this) what would he be worth. Obviously no one hear knows the real scoop but any _reasonable_ guesses? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/2 "1999-09-29T02:59:00Z")
Somewhere I’ve seen a figure of $100 billion. I suspect it starts becoming a little abstract past a certain level. Before I went out on my own, I worked for 9 years for a guy whose net worth bounced around between figures of $22 million and $440 million. I was there - things didn’t change _that_ much. He made money, he lost money…I do remember thinking that with all the convoluted deals he was in and with all the litigation that was flying around, it was probably very hard to really figure out a firm number. One way or another he was rich and Mr. Gates is richer. That probably didn’t help much. Regards ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/3 "1999-09-29T03:20:00Z")
So Beatle you are saying if he sold everything and put it in a bank account, just one, he could have a statement that reads 100 billion. It that is true that is totally unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_RogersAWC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mister\_RogersAWC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_RogersAWC)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/4 "1999-09-29T03:48:00Z")
I believe he’s up to 29 billion. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/5 "1999-09-29T04:06:00Z")
No, Markxxx, that’s not what I’m saying. Read the above and try to understand. Maybe I’m still suffering a weekend moment, but I don’t think so… ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/6 "1999-09-29T04:11:00Z")
According to this site, the Emperor Gates is up to 104 _ **billion** _!! [Bill Gates Personal Wealth Clock](http://www.webho.com/WealthClock) * * * TT “Believe those who seek the truth. Doubt those who find it.” --Andre Gide ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/7 "1999-09-29T04:17:00Z")
On the other hand, Forbes Magazine estimates his fortune at 58.4 billion. [Bill Gates richest American - again](http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/1998/38/ns-5579.html) * * * TT “Believe those who seek the truth. Doubt those who find it.” --Andre Gide ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/8 "1999-09-29T04:39:00Z")
I guess the question isn’t quite clear. Using rough estimates, if Bill Gates sold everything, like stocks etc how much would he have? Not necessarily what he is worth, how much could he scrape together in cash? (again if he sold everything and put it all in ONE bank account) Give or take a billion or so? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/9 "1999-09-29T05:17:00Z")
The problem lies in that a lot of what he’s responsible for, and in control of, isn’t strictly his. So if he quit, a lot of the money associated with him would not go to him. He doesn’t own Microsoft, I don’t think. Merely runs it. Sure, he helped create it and stuff, and is the visible CEO, but there’s apparently more (or less) to it than that. Anyway, he did say once that he’d give most of his money away if and when he retires. He realises that the difference between 20 billion and 25 billion to one person is weirdly nothing at all, so it’d be no great loss to him if his personal wealth was just 1 billion after retirement. I mean, I know _I’d_ be happy with that. * * * “So what you are telling me, Percy, is that something you have never seen is _slightly less blue_ than something else that you have never seen.” ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/10 "1999-09-29T05:27:00Z")
It seems as if some principle analogous to the Heisenberg Principle might be at work here: if you try to really investigate how much a mega-rich guy like Bill Gates is worth, the very act of investigating might change the dollar figure you’re seeking. If anyone uses this idea in their graduate economics thesis, remember, ya gotta credit Doghouse Reilly. DHR ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/11 "1999-09-29T05:28:00Z")
[Time Mag says](http://www.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,31237,00.html): > [@](#): > > Three years ago, Gates, the richest man in the world with a net worth of $90 billion, was chided by Time Warner vice chairman Ted Turner and others for not giving away enough of his money. Does this say he’s worth $90 billion now or that he was three years ago? Ray ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/12 "1999-09-29T08:26:00Z")
Most of his wealth is tied up in Microsoft stock. That means it’s not liquid, because if he tried to sell it all at once he’d depress the value of the stock and he wouldn’t get anywhere near his ‘paper’ value. In fact, if he tries to move any reasonably large block of stock (say more than a few million dollars worth), investors will pick up on the fact that the boss is dumping his own stock, and Microsoft could slide. With all the Attention on Gates, not many people realize that there are a couple of other guys at Microsoft (Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer) who are now worth what Gates was just a year or two ago. Paul Allen is worth maybe 40 billion, and Steve Ballmer is worth about 20 billion. There are secretaries at Microsoft who are millionaires on paper because of their stock options. Steve Ballmer just made the news by making a public statement that his own company’s stock is way overvalued, as are most other tech stocks. ---
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/13 "1999-09-29T09:26:00Z")
And let’s not forget there are more than 1500 millionaires working at Microsoft… many of them started in “mailroom” type jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Temujin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Temujin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temujin)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/14 "1999-09-29T11:43:00Z")
> [@](#): > > What is Bill Gates worth? Is he for sale? If anyone buys him, for God’s sake, keep the receipt! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/15 "1999-09-29T13:44:00Z")
I saw a list one time of the richest people of all time–but with some number crunching done to adjust for inflation and some other junk. Anyway, under their formulas, these were the all-time top dogs: John D Rockefeller 190 B 1913 Andrew Carnegie 100 B 1901 Cornelius Vanderbilt 96 B 1870’S John Jacob Astor 78 B 1840’S Bill Gates 61 B 1998 This was as of last October. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of their algorithm, unfortunately, I can’t find the link where I saw this list (the 40 richest people of all time). ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/16 "1999-09-29T14:57:00Z")
What is Bill Gates worth? More than he’ll ever need… * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/17 "1999-09-29T15:20:00Z")
Hey, we answered this one before. I agree that its rather an abstract idea. He does get a salary, however. Last I read it was about $450,000 per year. He said on the news he is giving $10B? For college scholarships for minorities. Just got himself a big house, for around $50M. If he sold stock to buy things, the price would drop, & a lot of people own Microsoft stock and they don’t want their stock to drop, so I bet they just loan him money for things like the house. On Who wants to be a Millionaire [This exact program has been playing in England for years], one question was, what tech stock is NOT traded on the NYSE & it was Microsoft. I never could figure out why its not. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/18 "1999-09-29T18:40:00Z")
Most tech stocks including Microsoft are traded on the Nasdaq. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/19 "1999-09-29T19:36:00Z")
FWIW, (not much) I heard that he’s worth approx $84 billion on the news a few days ago. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584/20 "1999-09-29T20:24:00Z")
GuanoLad and everyone else. Thanks for the info Guano had the idea I was going after. It is like the Queen of England. She’s worth billions but most of it really isn’t hers and she’d never be able to get her hands on it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-bill-gates-worth/3584.md?page=2)