Bill Gates Reveals How Much His Children Will Inherit
When you grow up as the child of a billionaire like Bill Gates, there's probably the assumption that you will inherit your father's fortune. The Microsoft founder's kids, daughters Jennifer, 28, and Phoebe, 22, and son Rory, 25, won't have that luxury and the 69-year-old tech entrepreneur is revealing the reason why
On the March 29 episode of the Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast, Gates admitted that his children will receive “less than 1%" of his money when he dies. He pointed out that his method of parenting regarding an inheritance isn't for everyone.
“I think everybody gets to decide on that,” he said. “In my case, my kids got a great upbringing and education but [will get] less than 1% of the total wealth because I decided it wouldn’t be a favor to them. It’s not a dynasty. I’m not asking them to run Microsoft."
Instead, he believes his three kids get "a chance to have their own earnings and success, be significant, and not overshadowed by the incredible luck and good fortune I had.” His "good fortune" is estimated by Forbes to be worth $101.9 billion as of April 9.
His children respect their father's financial beliefs and are carving out their own careers.
Jennifer is currently doing her pediatric residency at Mt. Sinai in New York City in addition to raising her two daughters, Laila, 2, and Leila, 6 months, with her husband, Nayel Nassar. Rory is currently a PhD student at the Institute of World Politics and an analyst for the Afghanistan War Commission, according to LinkedIn. Phoebe is a 2024 graduate of Stanford University and has recently launched a podcast, The Burnouts, under Alex Cooper's Unwell Network banner.
Gates is clear that he wants a majority of his money to go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation because "the highest calling for these resources is to go back to the neediest" people in the world.