Gates Foundation ends an era, selling off all remaining Microsoft stock

Gates Foundation ends an era, selling off all remaining Microsoft stock

By Lisa Stiffler
Publication Date: 2026-05-18 16:12:00

The Gates Foundation marked its 25th anniversary in May 2025 with a panel, from left: Emma Tucker, Wall Street Journal’s editor-in-chief; Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation; and Bill Gates. (GeekWire screenshot from live stream)

The Gates Foundation trust no longer owns any shares of Microsoft, the company that made Bill Gates one of the world’s richest people and ultimately led him to launch the Seattle-based global health organization 26 years ago.

The sale was disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Friday, with 7.7 million shares sold for approximately $3.2 billion, as first reported by The Times of India.

The move doesn’t reflect any souring on the Redmond, Wash., tech giant but is the continuation of a Microsoft selloff that began in the last quarter of 2023. The assets…