The No 7th Richest Man In The World So Far [bill Gates] 2024

7. Bill Gates

Net worth: $137.2 billion
Source: Microsoft, investments
Age: 68
Residence: Medina, Washington
Citizenship: U.S.
As a teenager, Gates became passionate about computer programming. He dropped out of Harvard to cofound software firm Microsoft with his high school friend Paul Allen in 1975, creating one of the first software programs available for the nascent personal computer industry.

He was CEO of the company for 25 years and remained chairman until 2014. He eventually stepped off the board in 2020 but told Forbes in 2023 that he still spends about 10% of his time consulting with teams at Microsoft.

These days he has investments in dozens of companies, including waste removal firm Republic Services and