Bill Gates has made his largest donation since 2000
What's the story
According to a recently released Securities & Exchange Commission filing, Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently made his biggest donation since 2000.
Gates donated 64 million Microsoft Corp. shares to a yet unknown recipient on 6th June - in terms of market value, the donation is worth $4.6 billion.
However, spokespersons for both Bill Gates and Microsoft have not yet responded to requests for comments.
Data
Bill Gates's turn of the century giveaways
The donation on 6th June marks the largest gift of shares Bill Gates has made since 2000. According to Bloomberg, the billionaire donated $16 billion worth of Microsoft shares in 1999, and $5.1 billion again in 2000.
Details
Bill Gates's dwindling holdings in Microsoft
Bill Gates's latest donation was worth 38% of his holdings in Microsoft.
Over the years, Bill Gates has directed over 700 million Microsoft shares to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), an amount which would be worth over $50 billion, had he held them today.
Due to his charity, Gates's share in Microsoft has decreased from 24% in 1996 to 1.3% today.
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Gates: the world's richest person for nearly two decades
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, aged 61 now, is worth $86.1 billion even after the donation. Gates has held the title of the world's richest person for four years in a row now, and for 18 out of the past 23 years.
Historic donations
Bill and Melinda Gates's donations over the years
Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, have always had a penchant for charity, and the couple founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in 2000 with the aim of improving healthcare and eradicating extreme poverty in the world.
Since 1994, the couple has given away $35 billion to charity, according to a review of BMGF tax returns, annual reports, and regulatory filings.
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Bill Gates's efforts to improve charitable practices among the wealthy
In 2010, Bill and Melinda Gates, along with billionaire Warren Buffet, created the Giving Pledge to encourage the wealthy to donate a majority of their wealth. Since then, they have been joined by 168 others who have pledged a majority of their wealth to charity.