This Is What Bill Gates' Portfolio Looks Like

Bill Gates is the sixth-richest man in the world—after Tesla's Elon Musk (in first place), Bernard Arnault (in second place), Amazon's Jeff Bezos (in third place), Oracle’s Larry Ellison (in fourth place), and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg (in fifth place). Gates has an estimated net worth of $119.6 billion, as of Jan. 2024.

Gates dropped out of Harvard University and became a technology entrepreneur after founding Microsoft Corporation in 1975. Over the decades, Gates successfully built his company into a major technology powerhouse, earning himself a fortune in the process.

Gates has since retired from the day-to-day functioning of Microsoft and focuses his efforts on his philanthropic causes through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These causes have included producing a malaria vaccine, tobacco control reform, and education reform. The Foundation has a substantial portfolio of investments. Its investment philosophy is to use capital from the Foundation to help businesses create solutions to complex and entrenched problems.

What Bill Gates' Portfolio Looks Like 

The following are some of the Foundation’s most prominent holdings, including their market values as of the filing date of September 30, 20223, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

1. Canadian National Railway Company

The largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio is Canadian National Railway Company (CNI). The Foundation holds approximately 54.8 million shares of Canadian National Railway Company with a market value of nearly $6 billion.

Canadian National Railway provides integrated transportation services including rail, trucking, freight forwarding, and warehousing. The company mainly transports petroleum products, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals, and automotive products. As of Jan. 16, 2024, it has a market cap of $81.02 billion.

2. Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is the second-largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio. The Foundation holds approximately 39.3 million shares with a market value of just over $12.4 billion.

Microsoft is the second largest company in the S&P 500, with a market cap of over $2.9 trillion as of Jan. 16, 2024. The company was ranked thirteenth on the 2023 Fortune 500 list. Bill Gates has donated over $59 billion to the Gates Foundation by July 2022.

3. Waste Management, Inc.

Waste Management, Inc. (WM) is the third-largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio. The Foundation owns over 35.2 million shares with a market value of $5.3 billion.

Waste Management is a provider of waste management and associated environmental services. It further develops and operates waste to energy and landfill gas to energy facilities in the United States. It is the largest waste management company in the country, with over 20 million customers. The company has a market cap of $72.8 billion as of Jan. 16, 2024, and was ranked 204th on the 2023 Fortune 500 list.

4. Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) is the fourth-largest in the Foundation’s portfolio. The Foundation holds approximately 22.5 million shares with a market value of nearly $8 billion. Berkshire Hathaway is one of the largest companies in the S&P 500, with a market cap of $785.8 billion as of Jan. 16, 2024. The company was ranked seventh on the 2023 Fortune 500 list. Bill Gates has developed a very close relationship with Warren Buffett since they first met in 1991; Gates served on the Board of Directors of Berkshire Hathaway until March 2020. Both investors have signed a pledge to give away a significant portion of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

5. Coupang Inc.

Coupang (CPNG) is the fifth-largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio, with more than 9.2 million shares and a market value of $157.2 million. The company is in the retail trade sector, operating as an e-commerce company. Coupang has a market cap of $27.43 billion.