Bill Gates is regarded by many as one of the most successful businessmen not only in the US but in the entire world. Through Gates’s leadership, his businesses have truly become giants in the industry they belong in.
Born on October 28, 1955, Bill Gates, whose full name is William Henry Gates III, would later become a business magnate, a term that is supposed to indicate a person that has achieved massive success in creating and managing businesses and enterprises. While Bill Gates is primarily known as the co-founder and software developer of Microsoft, there are actually more companies that the business magnate owns that are not shown in the spotlight. Here are some of the successful businesses of Bill Gates.
Microsoft
Of course, the most popular company that was owned by Bill Gates is Microsoft, which is an American technology company founded on April 4, 1976. Even though Bill Gates’s name is still associated with Microsoft, there are only a few people that know that Gates sold most of his shares of the company in 2000, so he hasn’t managed the company for more than 20 years now. However, the people managing and working at Microsoft still ask Gates for advice, as he is currently working for the company as a technical advisor. In addition, he still has a 3.6% stake in the company that became possible through Cascade Investment, an investment company also owned by Gates.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
This may be surprising for some, but Bill Gates, along with business partner Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud (a businessman and member of the Saudi royal family), owned 95% of the shares for Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, one of the grandest hotel companies in the world. However, Gates was not the founder of Four Seasons, as it is actually Isadore Sharp, who is still the chairman of the company since he created it on March 21, 1961.
Walmart Inc.
Bill Gates owns approximately 11.6 million shares in Walmart Inc. through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the current value of those shares is at $1.3 billion. If you live in the United States, you would see Walmart stores anywhere, as they are one of the largest retail-focused stores in the country. Along with the main Walmart brand, the company also owns Sam’s Club, a membership-only retail warehouse club that was founded in 1983, about 19 years after the founding of Walmart.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. is particularly famous for manufacturing heavy vehicles that are usually made for constructing buildings and other infrastructures, and these vehicles would have this distinct bright yellow paint job that would easily be noticed by many. What most people don’t know is that Bill Gates actually bought stocks of Caterpillar through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the company is the fourth-largest holding for the foundation.
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway is the largest railway system in Canada in terms of size and revenue, and the success of this company is mainly attributed to its investors, who have given all the money that the railway needs to create an effective system with better service and trains. One of the investors for the Canadian National Railway is Bill Gates through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is reported that Gates is the largest single shareholder for the railway company, and it is also the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s third-largest holding.
Waste Management Inc.
The second-largest holding by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is Waste Management Inc., a company that focuses on bringing waste management service to more than 21 million customers around the United States. Bill Gates’s foundation has more than 19 million shares in the waste management company, and the value of those shares is at $1.97 billion. Waste Management Inc. particularly got the spotlight for a brief period of time when Bill Gates talked about the company’s goals in the Netflix documentary “Inside Bill’s Brain.”
Berkshire Hathaway
The biggest company that Bill Gates has shares in is Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate holding company that owns popular brands like Duracells, GEICO, Dairy Queen, Lubrizol, and many others. In addition, the company also has minority holdings in The Coca-Cola Company, Bank of America, Apple, and the Kraft Heinz Company. Through the great Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the entrepreneur reportedly has more than 7 million shares with Berkshire Hathaway, which is valued at $7 billion. Berkshire Hathaway is the largest holding of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
There are many more companies that Bill Gates bought stocks in as a way to keep his money flowing and growing over the years. Bill Gates’s strategy to constantly buy stocks for multiple companies has inspired many people to buy stocks as well instead of keeping their money stagnant in their bank account.
