Bill Gates would have been a trillionaire today if he hadn't done this; here's where his majority stock holdings are

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is counted amongst the richest in the world. Known for his philanthropy, Gates is also famed clever investments in companies, which also facilitates him to donate much of his earnings towards charity.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation works towards poverty reduction and development of healthcare facilities across the world, through which Gates donates much of his earnings. Even Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett had served as a trustee of the foundation until 2021.

The equity portfolio of the Gates Foundation is valued at $44 Billion, two-thirds of which is invested in three ginormous firms.

• Microsoft (29%)

It's no surprise that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invested the biggest portion of it's portfolio in Microsoft itself. Gates had made the initial donation of his company's shares in 2001. As of now, the foundation holds nearly 29 million shares of the company, which amounts to $12.5 billion.

While the organization has sold off nearly 26% of Microsoft shares for required funds over the last four quarters, the rise in value of the shares has led to it still being the highest valued share.

Microsoft's investment in OpenAI and the development of Azure, which caused a 33% bump in the company's revenues in the last quarter, has led to the company's shares rise a whooping 60% since 2022, the last time when Gates donated to his foundation.

• Berkshire Hathaway (23%)

Since 2016, Warren Buffett has continuously donated to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation every year, which are considered as Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway.

Buffet transforms his Class A shares into the said category in order to continue with his philanthropy, without ever losing control of his firm. The Gates Foundation currently owns approximately 22 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway, which are of $10 billion in value.

While it's being touted that the organization might disinvest some portion of it's Buffet holding, a big chunk of the holdings have been retained by selling off other stocks.

• Waste Management (15%)

One of the oldest stocks the foundation holds is that of Waste Management. As of recent times, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation holds 32.2 million shares in the company, adding stocks to the portfolio on a regular basis.

The trustees of the foundation had sold 3 million shares worth $6.5 billion in the third quarter.