Bill Gates' Net Worth Falls After Divorce: Mark Zuckerberg Overtakes Microsoft Founder in Rankings!

Because of his divorce with Melinda French Gates, Bill Gates dropped from the world richest man ranking. Mark Zuckerberg overtook the Microsoft founder by a billion in net worth, making the Facebook founder the new fourth wealthiest man in the world.

Melina and Bill Gates' divorce is a popular topic for many on the internet since it first got announced in early May. Many got curious how the Gates would divide their great fortune, like their $166 million real estate portfolio, $130 million art collection, and multi-billion stock holdings.

The couple reportedly agreed to divide their assets based on equity and not the iconic 50-50 split. Unfortunately, the official terms dictating the division of fortune have not been disclosed to the public.

Bill Gates' Net Worth Falls After Divorce

Forbes listed some of the stock transfers Melinda received during this divorce, which the public knew. These are $2.4 billion worth of stocks for Cascade Investment LLC, on top of the $3.2 billion worth of stocks Bill gave her in May. Melinda also received $392 million equivalent from AutoNation (from her 3.3 million shares in the company), $1 billion equivalent from Deere & Co (2.8 million shares in the company), and another $1 billion from Canadian National Railway Co. (9.5 million shares in the company).

Melinda French Gates' net worh reportedly increased to an estimated $5.7 billion after all these exchanges. The number might still rise because the couple is still dividing their wealth. Melinda might also receive a few more assets from Bill's private companies and real estate.

Lastly, Melinda and Bill agreed to continue working with each other as co-chairs in their Gate Foundation. However, a contingency plan was also announced, where Melinda would resign if it proves impossible to work together.

Mark Zuckerberg Overtakes Microsoft Founder in Billionaire Rankings

Since the popular social media platform Facebook has never stopped growing, Mark Zuckerberg's net worth also continues to rise. Despite the many issues it faced, Facebook has been dominating as a go-to communication tool during the pandemic lockdown.

Lastly, it is also worth noting that Facebook recently announced its plans to be a metaverse company, according to The Verge. This radical idea, proposed by Mark, sees the social media platform extending beyond apps and communications and could later feature usage with the convergence of physical, augmented, and virtual reality in its online space. In highlight, user avatars can explore a whole "universe" inside Facebook.

This could be one avenue for investors to consider when adding Mark's overall net worth.

Of course, the billionaire rankings can change quickl. However, it is certainly interesting to see where Gates, Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk will be in the Top 5 list in the next few days. The four are the richest men in the world, and as their businesses grow, so are their value and overall net worth.