Athira Sethu
Kochi, 9 July 2025
Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, has lost more than $52 billion in a week. This significant loss has dropped him out of the top 10 wealthiest individuals globally. On July 8, Gates is now in position 12 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net value of $124 billion. Seven days earlier, his net value was $172 billion.
Why Did His Wealth Fall So Much?
The primary cause of the decline is that Bill Gates is donating the majority of his wealth. He gives a lot of money to the Gates Foundation, a charity he operates. In a blog post in May, Gates announced that he would give almost all of his wealth over the next 20 years. He forecasts that the foundation will disburse approximately $200 billion by 2045 before it shuts down.
Despite Gates owning around 1% of Microsoft and having received $60 billion in stock and dividends, his large donations are cutting into his net worth quickly.
Steve Ballmer Tops Bill Gates
Another shocking turn of events is that Steve Ballmer, the ex-CEO of Microsoft, is richer than Gates now. Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, is currently ranked 5th in the billionaire list with a net worth of $172 billion.
Who Are Currently in the Top 10?
The Following are the top 10 wealthiest individuals in the world currently:
Elon Musk – $361 billion
Mark Zuckerberg – $254 billion
Larry Ellison – $253 billion
Jeff Bezos – $244 billion
Steve Ballmer – $172 billion
Larry Page – $163 billion
Bernard Arnault – $161 billion
Sergey Brin – $152 billion
Warren Buffett – $146 billion
Jensen Huang – $139 billion
Still Focused on Charity
Although he is no longer in the top 10, Bill Gates continues to be involved in contributing to others. His foundation finances medical care, education, and development initiatives globally. Gates has also stated that he wants to leave only 1% of his fortune to his three kids since he wishes to donate most of his wealth towards philanthropic efforts.
