She went from an ‘accidental CEO’ to the ‘most powerful woman in healthcare’. At 82, she’s giving away 99% of her $7.8 billion fortune

At 82, Judy Faulkner, the billionaire founder of Epic Systems, is preparing for her biggest legacy move yet — giving away 99% of her fortune. Often called the “most powerful woman in healthcare” by Forbes, Faulkner built one of the world’s largest electronic health record companies from a basement in Wisconsin. Now worth an estimated $7.8 billion, she has joined the ranks of global philanthropists who are determined to funnel their wealth into causes far beyond their boardrooms.

Her story stands apart because Faulkner was never the stereotypical tech mogul. She has called herself an “accidental CEO,” someone who stumbled into leadership without an MBA or outside investors to guide her. Today, she is not just leading a company that touches the medical records of over 325 million patients worldwide but also leading by example in rethinking wealth and responsibility.

The Giving Pledge and a radical choice

Faulkner signed The Giving Pledge in 2015, the campaign launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett to encourage billionaires to commit the majority of their fortunes to philanthropy. While the pledge has many prominent names attached — from Mark Zuckerberg to Elon Musk — critics have long pointed out that only a small number of signatories have meaningfully followed through.


Faulkner seems determined to be among them. According to Fortune, she has been systematically selling her non-voting Epic shares back to the company and redirecting proceeds into Roots & Wings, a family foundation she established with her husband. The foundation supports nonprofits working with low-income families, particularly in health and education. In 2020, Roots & Wings distributed $15 million to 115 organizations. By 2023, that figure had grown to $67 million across 305 organizations, with Faulkner’s stated goal of reaching $100 million in annual giving by 2027.

“I’ve never cashed a single share for myself,” Faulkner told CNBC, underscoring her commitment to channel wealth outward rather than upward.

The ‘Epic’ empire built on unusual rules

Epic Systems, founded in 1979, is hardly a conventional tech company. The healthcare software giant operates out of a whimsical 1,670-acre campus in Verona, Wisconsin, where staff meetings in the underground “Deep Space” auditorium often include grammar lessons alongside business updates. Its quirky culture is matched by Faulkner’s steadfast refusal to follow Silicon Valley norms.

She built Epic without a dollar of venture capital, rejected the idea of going public, and famously installed “commandments” around the company that read: Do not go public. Do not acquire or be acquired. Software must work.

Despite these unconventional principles, Epic has become the backbone of American healthcare records. An April report by KLAS Research found Epic software is used in 42% of U.S. acute care hospitals, far outpacing its nearest rival, Oracle Health, at 23%.

A billionaire who resists billionaire habits

Faulkner’s decision to give away her wealth also reflects her distance from the tech elite she is often compared with. While she is sometimes described as a mix between Bill Gates and Willy Wonka — part visionary, part unconventional dreamer — her philosophy on wealth is starkly different.

Unlike peers who multiply fortunes through public stock valuations, Faulkner has deliberately avoided Wall Street’s “tyranny of the quarter,” as she once put it. Her resistance to being driven solely by shareholder returns has not only shaped Epic’s identity but now defines her personal financial journey as well.

A legacy beyond healthcare

By planning to part with nearly all her wealth, Faulkner joins a rare group of billionaires turning pledges into action. Yet her approach is notable not just for the scale but for its intent. She is moving money faster, designing systems to prevent destabilizing her company, and ensuring that philanthropic giving continues well beyond her own lifetime.

For someone who once described herself as an “accidental CEO,” Judy Faulkner is now deliberately choosing to script a different ending to her billionaire story. One that replaces accumulation with redistribution — and perhaps sets a new benchmark for what it means to lead with impact at the twilight of a career.