Do you remember Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars’s 2010 hit Billionaire? One person who surely can’t forget the chart-topper is billionaire Bill Gates. Back in 2010, Gates had an estimated net worth of $53 billion, making him the second-richest person in the world, just behind Carlos Slim and family.
Ironically, it was his three kids, Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe, who loved singing the song to poke fun at him. Amusingly, the lyrics hit close to home for the Microsoft co-founder. He was a billionaire, his face had graced Forbes magazine covers multiple times, and he’d sat next to Oprah more than once as a close friend. “The Billionaire song is what my kids tease me with,” he once revealed. “They sing it to me. It’s funny.”
Despite living as a billionaire for most of his life, Gates has made it clear he won’t be handing down his vast fortune, currently valued at $177 billion according to Bloomberg, to his children. Initially, he planned to leave them just $10 million each. That figure has since been adjusted to less than 1% of his wealth, as he believes it’s better for them to chart their own paths to success rather than inherit massive fortunes.
Of course, even that 1% still equates to a staggering $1.7 billion, which, when divided among the three kids, would still mean over $500 million each. Not to mention, all the major expenses have already been taken care of. The Gates children grew up in a $130 million mansion dubbed Xanadu 2.0, complete with sand imported from the Caribbean, a man-made stream stocked with salmon, and a giant trampoline room.
The 66,000-square-foot tech haven overlooking Lake Washington also houses a massive library. In an interview with The Daily Mail’s Caroline Graham, Gates explained, “They will be given an unbelievable education and that will all be paid for. And certainly anything related to health issues we will take care of. But in terms of their income, they will have to pick a job they like and go to work. They are normal kids now. They do chores, they get pocket money.”
“Normal” may be a stretch. Which kid gets a $16 million graduation gift in the form of a 124-acre equestrian estate in North Salem, New York? The luxurious property features a state-of-the-art barn, scenic riding trails, and access to elite equestrian events. And it doesn’t end there, Gates reportedly purchased an entire street in a high-end Florida neighborhood just to ensure his daughter Jennifer’s privacy while training for show jumping.
Looks like the Gates kids knew exactly what they were singing when they kept humming Billionaire to their dad. Funny how a playful song became the unofficial soundtrack to their not-so-ordinary childhood.
