The richest man in the world gave $64 million of his shares in Microsoft, with a total value of $4.6 billion, to charity. This is the largest donation that bill gates did from the beginning of 2000.
Thus, the businessman has broken up with 5% of his fortune, and his stake in Microsoft fell again, this time to 1.3%. It is noteworthy that in 1996 this figure reached 24%.
Based on the information in the document on transfer of shares, which the Commission on securities and stock exchanges published on Monday, the transaction was carried out on 6 June. But who is the recipient – is still a mystery.
In 2000, that is the last time the billionaire has made such a large donation, transferred shares worth more than $5 billion was used to create the world’s largest charitable Foundation, founded by bill and Melinda Gates.
Since then, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began to receive bonmost of the contributions that the billionaire has allocated to charity.
The main priorities for the Foundation is to combat hunger in poor countries, poverty reduction, and overcoming infectious diseases, improving health systems and ensuring universal access to computers.
As a rule, gates annually gives to good purpose about $80 million of its shares. According to estimates Bloomberg, if the Microsoft founder has returned all of his donated funds, at the moment their sum would be the equivalent of $50 billion.
If he’d continue to give their stock in the usual quantities, then already by 2019, its share in Microsoft is risking to be reduced to zero, calculated by The Verge.
Now bill gates owns $86,1 billion, making him the richest man in the world. Interestingly, last month the businessman had to give up her first place in the ranking of the founder and CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos.
But not for long: soon the price of Amazon shares fell, the palm is again bill gates.
