"There's still more to give": Bill Gates revealed how many billions he has donated.
Billionaire Bill Gates has announced that he has donated over $100 billion through his charitable foundation. The Microsoft founder plans to give away most of his fortune but intends to leave something for his children, he shared in an interview with the BBC, reports UNN.
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Bill Gates revealed new figures regarding how much his charitable foundation has spent on disease prevention and poverty reduction.
This amount is roughly equivalent to the size of Bulgaria's economy, but in context, it's also about the same as Tesla's annual sales (Tesla owner Elon Musk is now the richest person on the planet, a title Gates held for many years), the publication notes.
The co-founder of Microsoft and his fellow philanthropist Warren Buffett are pooling their billions through the Gates Foundation, which he initially established with his now ex-wife Melinda.
Gates mentions that philanthropy has been instilled in him from the very beginning. His mother frequently told him that "with wealth comes the responsibility to give it away."
The $100 billion figure was set to be announced in May, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Foundation. However, Gates disclosed it exclusively to the BBC.
Gates expressed his enjoyment in giving away his money (and about $60 billion of his fortune has already gone to the Foundation).
When it comes to his daily life, he honestly doesn't notice a difference: "I haven't made any personal sacrifices. I haven't ordered fewer hamburgers or movies." Of course, he can still afford his private jet and his various large homes, the publication points out.
He plans to give away "the overwhelming majority" of his wealth but mentioned that he has had "many" discussions with his three children about what amount might be appropriate to leave them.
In response to a question about whether they would be poor after he is gone, Gates quickly smiled and said, "They won’t be," adding, "In absolute terms, they will be fine, but in percentage terms, it’s not a huge number."