Bill Gates (via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust) has sold roughly 17 million shares of Microsoft Corporation (ticker: MSFT) in the third quarter of 2025 — cutting its stake by about 65%, valued at approximately US$8.7 billion.
Here are the key details and implications:
What happened
- The Trust sold ~17 million Microsoft shares in Q3 2025
- This represented a stake reduction of ~64.91% in Microsoft for the Trust. The Economic Times
- The sale amount is estimated at around US$8.7 billion (some sources say US$8.8 billion) based on an average share price of about US$510.13.
- After the sale, the Trust holds about 9.2 million shares of Microsoft worth approximately US$4.76 billion.
Why it may have happened
- The Foundation had a large concentration in Microsoft—over 27% of its portfolio, which after this sale falls to about 13%.
- This appears to be more of a portfolio rebalancing or liquidity-raising move than a negative outlook on Microsoft’s business. One commentary: “The sale … appears to be about position sizing rather than walking away from a core investment.”
- The Foundation is preparing for increased philanthropic activity, which may require cash. Some reports say the Trust is expected to ramp up its annual distributions and is planning operations through 2045.
Implications
- For Microsoft (MSFT): The sale itself doesn’t signal necessarily any weakness in Microsoft’s fundamentals — the company continues to post strong results in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The reduction seems more about the Foundation’s internal asset allocation.
- For investors: A large sale of this magnitude (US$8.7 billion) attracts attention and can influence market sentiment, though the context suggests it’s not a sell-signal about Microsoft’s business.
- For the Foundation: Reducing concentration risk, freeing up capital for giving/distribution, aligning the portfolio with longer-term philanthropic goals.
Bottom line
Bill Gates’ foundation has made one of its largest single-quarter portfolio moves by offloading a major portion of its Microsoft stake, cashing out nearly US$8.7 billion. While eye-catching, the move appears strategic rather than reactive.
