Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce announcement is likely to spark one of the largest divisions of personal assets in history. Bill Gates is presently the world’s fourth-richest person, with a $130.5 billion fortune, stemming from his $25 billion stake in Microsoft, a host of publicly traded investments and a collection of ultra-luxury properties scattered across the U.S.
The couple’s main home, a $131 million estate nicknamed Xanadu 2.0, spans 66,000 square feet and took seven years to build. It features a trampoline room, six kitchens and an artificial stream. Their other homes include a $43 million beachfront mansion in Del Mar, California and an equestrian estate in Wellington, Florida, which also counts billionaires Jeremy Jacobs, Michael Bloomberg and John Malone as owners.
Easy to overlook is the huge portfolio of farmland. The couple are the largest private farmland owners in America, with 242,000 acres, according to The Land Report, with the biggest swaths in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres) and Nebraska (20,588 acres). It is not presently clear how that land is being used.
They also own four private planes, a vast art collection and the Codex Leicester, a notebook filled with scientific writing by Leonardo da Vinci, which Bill bought for $30.8 million in 1994.
On some level, it doesn’t matter how the couple plans to divide their assets. Together with Warren Buffett, in 2010 they cofounded the Giving Pledge—a promise by high-net-worth individuals to give away more than half of their wealth—and reportedly plan to leave $10 million to each of their children, devoting the rest to charitable causes.
Already, they have given more than $35 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charity, which focuses much of its work on public health. Last May, for instance, the foundation said it would earmark $300 million to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Below is a closer look at some of the couple’s real estate holdings.
An aerial view of the Gates house on Lake Washington.
Harley Soltes/KRT/Newscom
Medina, Washington
Located on Lake Washington, the home’s nickname, Xanadu 2.0, drew inspiration from the protagonist’s abode in Citizen Kane. With a reported seven bedrooms and more than 18 bathrooms, the house is designed to be energy efficient while also supporting an underwater sound system, screens powered by miles of fiber-optic cables, and a 2,100 square-foot private library.
The $43 million beach house in Del Mar, near San Diego.
Guiltinan Group/MEGA/Newscom
Del Mar, California
This six-bedroom home was designed by Ken Rochetti, and includes tons of deck space, a four-car garage, jacuzzi and glass tile pool. Spanning 5,800 square feet, the $43 million property is a landmark in Del Mar. It was last owned by Madeleine Pickens, who was previously married to billionaire T. Boone Pickens.
Interior of the Del Mar home.
The Guiltinan Group/ MEGA/Newscom
Indian Wells, California
The six-bedroom house was purchased in 1999 for $12.5 million and, at 13,000 square feet, is one of the couple’s more modest properties. One main appeal is its proximity to a golf course designed by Tom Fazio. Lee Iacocca reportedly lived nearby.
Wellington, Florida
The Gates’ daughter Jennifer is well-known in equestrian circles, and there is plenty of space to ride on this 30-acre collection of properties in Wellington. The most recent addition came in 2019, a $21 million horse farm set on 7.7 acres.