Bill Gates transfers $ 20 billion in private property to the charity foundation - "will eventually drop out from the world's billionaire list"

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ビル・ゲイツ氏、私財２００億ドルを慈善財団に移転　「長者番付はいずれ脱落」

2022.07.14 Thu posted at 15:45 JST

ニューヨーク（ＣＮＮ Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓ） 米マイクロソフト創業者のビル・ゲイツ氏は１３日、２００億ドル（約２兆７０００億円）の私財を慈善団体のビル・アンド・メリンダ・ゲイツ財団に移すと表明した。同財団は、コロナ禍やウクライナの戦争による世界的課題に対応するための支出を増やす。

同財団は拠出額をコロナ前の年間約６０億ドルから、２０２６年までに５０％増の９０億ドルに増やす計画。同財団は世界の健康増進、両性の平等、教育支援などに力を入れている。

ゲイツ氏と元妻のメリンダ・フレンチ・ゲイツ氏は、２０年前に共同で設立した同財団に莫大（ばくだい）な私財を投じてきた。

両氏は２１年５月に離婚を発表し、２年間の試験期間中は共同代表として力を合わせると表明。フレンチ・ゲイツ氏はその後辞任して、財団責任者にとどまるゲイツ氏から支払いを受けることも選択できる。

ゲイツ氏の現在の資産は約１１４０億ドルと推定され、ブルームバーグの長者番付によれば世界で４番目の富豪。資産の大部分はマイクロソフト株に関連している。

しかし永遠に長者番付にとどまり続ける意図はないと述べ、１３日のブログにこう記した。

「私の順位は下がり、いずれ世界長者番付から姿を消すだろう」「私には、生命の向上に最も素晴らしい影響を与える形で資産を社会に還元する責務がある。莫大な富や地位をもつほかの人たちも、今この時こそ踏み出してほしい」

Translation

New York (CNN Business) Microsoft founder Bill Gates announced on the 13th that he would transfer $ 20 billion (about 2.7 trillion yen) of private asset to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation charity organization. The Foundation would increase spending to address the global challenges of the Corona epidemic and the Ukrainian war.

The foundation planned to increase its contributions from about $ 6 billion a year before Corona to $ 9 billion by 2026, a 50% increase. The foundation was committed to promoting global health, gender equality and educational support.

Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates had invested enormous amounts of private money in the foundation, which they co-founded 20 years ago.

They declared their divorce in May 2009 and announced that they would join forces as co-representatives during the two-year test period. After that French Gates could then resign, and could also choose to be paid by Gates, who remained the Foundation's chief.

Gates' current wealth was estimated at about $ 114 billion, making him the fourth richest man in the world, according to Bloomberg's chief ranking. Most of his assets were related to Microsoft stock.

But he said he had no intention of staying in the billionaires list forever, he wrote in his blog on the 13th.

"My ranking will drop and will eventually disappear from the world's billionaire list"; "I have a duty to return assets to society in a way that it has the greatest impact on improving life. I want other people holding huge wealth and status to take a step forward now at this time. "

I am impressed by Bill Gates’s thinking that he has a duty to return his assets to society in a way that it can have the greatest impact on improving other people’s life. In other parts of the world, I see a different kind of culture. For example in Asia among the Chinese, billionaires tend to keep the wealth for their children, in particular the male ones so that the family tree with his last name will continue to thrive, and the business set up by the billionaire will continue for ever.