The Ridiculous Amount Of Money Bill Gates Makes Per Second

Everyone knows that Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world, but when you actually boil down how much money he makes on the day-to-day, it's even harder to comprehend. Gates famously made his fortune by co-founding the Microsoft Corporation and is worth, per CNBC, a total of $134.1 billion. Microsoft is actually only just part of his overall net worth, as much of his money also comes in from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

In 2021, Gates and his wife announced that they were divorcing, bringing his money back into the headlines. Because of their joint role in the foundation, splitting up the wealth in the divorce is going to be extremely complicated as they divvy up their shares, and assets like their homes, cars, and art, which the outlet says includes paintings by Leonardo DaVinci, Andrew Wyeth, and Winslow Homer. Those things alone are worth over $100 million. There is also his private stocks and other investments, so the Gates family really does have multiple, steady lines of income coming in at all time. As it turns out, you can even break down how much Gates makes per second. And let's just say it's a bit more than minimum wage. 

It would take centuries to give all of Bill Gates' money away

Bill Gates is so wealthy, it's hard to even compare him to a normal person. Given his billions, per Business Insider, when one person with an average net worth spends a buck — as in a single dollar — it's equivalent to Gates spending $1.2 million. Chump change, basically, if you can even process that sort of spending. As he continues to earn more and more money over the years, the outlet ran some numbers and realized that the philanthropist and businessman actually earns about $1,300 per second. Yes, you read that right. Gates earns over a grand per second, given all of his assets and investments. And even if he spent $1 million a day, it would still take him over 400 years to get rid of his wealth. 

This might be why Bill and his wife Melinda are so dead set on giving their fortune away to charity or investing in causes related to medical innovation and other important causes. Per the BBC, the couple is dedicated to giving away 95% of their wealth in their lifetime. And even with their divorce, splitting up the assets, and paying for lawyers to help them do so, they'll still be two of the richest people in the world. The only question really left is: can the Gates family just write us all into their wills, pretty please?