does bill gates own any apple stock? Explained

Does Bill Gates Own Any Apple Stock?

Quick lead answer: The simple question “does bill gates own any apple stock?” requires distinction between direct personal holdings and indirect exposure. Historically Microsoft invested in Apple in 1997; Microsoft later sold that stake. Bill Gates himself has not been publicly reported as a major direct holder of Apple shares in recent years, though Gates‑related trusts and investment vehicles can have indirect exposure—most notably via holdings in Berkshire Hathaway. This article explains the history, public filings, direct vs. indirect ownership, a worked example of indirect exposure, and how to verify holdings.

Background — Microsoft, Apple and the 1997 Deal

In 1997 Apple faced severe financial difficulty and had recently brought Steve Jobs back into an executive role. In a widely reported industry move, Microsoft agreed to invest $150 million in Apple and to license Office for Mac, while Apple agreed to make Internet Explorer the default browser on Mac for a period. The deal was announced in August 1997 and is widely cited as a turning point that helped stabilize Apple’s finances and public confidence at a critical moment.

Because the 1997 transaction involved Microsoft — the company Bill Gates co‑founded and led for decades — many observers conflate Microsoft’s corporate stake with Gates’ personal ownership of Apple. The phrase “does bill gates own any apple stock?” often surfaces in searches because of that historical association. As of August 1997 coverage (contemporaneous tech press and retrospectives), the investment was corporate and strategic, not a personal gift to Gates.

As of January 22, 2026, major retrospectives and archived coverage (Macworld, contemporaneous press from 1997) are consistent that Microsoft’s $150 million investment was for non‑voting shares and a software agreement that eased tensions between the two companies and helped Apple regain market confidence.

Microsoft’s Divestment of Apple Shares

Microsoft’s 1997 stake in Apple was not permanent. According to later reporting and public disclosures, Microsoft gradually sold the Apple shares it had acquired as market conditions changed and as the strategic need for that stake diminished. By the early 2000s Microsoft no longer held the same visible corporate stake in Apple that it did immediately after the 1997 deal.

As of January 22, 2026, historical business reporting and firm statements indicate that Microsoft’s corporate investment that linked it to Apple in 1997 had been wound down over subsequent years. That corporate divestment ended the direct, formal financial tie that originated with the 1997 agreement.

Bill Gates — Personal Holdings and Public Filings

When people ask “does bill gates own any apple stock?” they often mean does Bill Gates personally, as an individual, own Apple shares. Public information about Bill Gates’ personal holdings is primarily available through SEC filings and disclosures tied to his roles and through reporting on his family and foundation trusts.

Bill Gates’ most widely recognized personal exposure historically comes from large Microsoft holdings and from investments channeled through philanthropic and private trusts. Material direct ownership of Apple by an individual of Gates’ public stature would typically show up in public filings—Forms 4/5 for insider transactions, proxy statements, or other SEC disclosures—when ownership crosses reporting thresholds.

As of January 22, 2026, there are no widely reported SEC filings showing Bill Gates as a direct, large personal holder of Apple comparable to major institutional holders. That does not preclude occasional small personal trades below reporting thresholds, but publicly documented, material direct positions attributable to Bill Gates personally are not part of mainstream institutional ownership lists. Always verify with the SEC’s EDGAR database for the most current, primary filings.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust and Indirect Exposure

A key nuance when answering “does bill gates own any apple stock?” is the role of investment vehicles tied to Gates. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust (the entity that manages endowment assets) and other Gates‑related vehicles have held large positions in diversified public equities. Those trusts do not always hold Apple directly; instead, they may hold shares of other public companies that themselves own Apple stock.

A prime example is Berkshire Hathaway, an investment vehicle that has, in recent years, held a large position in Apple. If a Gates‑related trust holds a meaningful stake of Berkshire, that creates indirect economic exposure to Apple without the trust or Bill Gates directly owning Apple shares on the trust’s own 13F list. Media analyses in past years highlighted this chain of exposure as a common source of confusion: a Gates‑tied trust owns Berkshire shares; Berkshire owns Apple shares; therefore the trust has indirect exposure to Apple.

As of January 22, 2026, filings and portfolio summaries show that Gates’ trusts have historically held sizable positions in Berkshire Hathaway. Those positions can translate into meaningful indirect exposure to Apple when Berkshire’s Apple position is large. This is an important distinction: indirect economic exposure through another company is different from direct ownership of Apple shares by Bill Gates or by the Gates Foundation Trust.

Example: Calculation of Indirect Exposure via Berkshire Hathaway

Public articles and analysts have illustrated indirect exposure with simple arithmetic. The method is:

• Step 1: Determine the trust’s percentage ownership of the intermediary (for example, the Gates Trust’s percentage of Berkshire Hathaway).
• Step 2: Determine the intermediary’s holding of Apple (Berkshire’s number of Apple shares or dollar value of Apple holdings at a given filing date).
• Step 3: Multiply the trust’s percentage of the intermediary by the intermediary’s dollar value of Apple holdings to estimate the trust’s indirect dollar exposure to Apple.

Illustrative example (numbers shown only to demonstrate the arithmetic; use actual filings to compute real exposure): If a trust owns 5% of Berkshire Hathaway, and Berkshire reports owning $100 billion worth of Apple shares at the same reporting date, the trust’s approximate indirect Apple exposure would be 5% × $100 billion = $5 billion. The final figure depends on the exact filing dates, rounding, and market prices at the valuation time. Public articles in 2019–2020 used this approach to show how trusts and large investors can have indirect exposure to Apple via large holders like Berkshire.

Institutional vs. Personal Ownership — Who Owns Apple?

Putting Gates’ indirect exposure in context requires understanding the composition of Apple’s major shareholders. Apple’s largest positions are held by institutional asset managers and large investment funds. Typical major institutional holders include index and asset managers and large investment firms that file quarterly 13F reports listing their equity holdings.

Major institutional holders are often named in public ownership summaries and large‑cap reporting. Those institutional owners differ from a single named individual in three ways: scale (institutions often hold many millions of shares), reporting transparency (13F filings), and the economic effect (an institution’s decision affects many clients and pooled capital). An individual like Bill Gates would normally appear if he personally crossed reporting thresholds or if his private trust became a 5%+ beneficial owner requiring a proxy filing.

When you search for “does bill gates own any apple stock?” remember that owning Apple via an institution (directly or indirectly) is not the same as being a named personal shareholder who files individual insider forms. The distinction matters for control, disclosure, and public perception.

Recent Reports and Transaction Summaries

Public trackers and financial media periodically summarize notable portfolio positions and trades. These sources include filings aggregators and financial news outlets that reference 13F data, proxy statements, and insider forms. As of January 22, 2026, third‑party trackers may show historical positions that once linked Microsoft or Gates‑affiliated vehicles to Apple; however, the most reliable confirmation is the underlying SEC filing for the reporting quarter cited.

Be cautious: portfolio trackers sometimes display historical holdings or combine institutional and personal data in ways that can be confusing. If a tracker displays no current Bill Gates personal holding of Apple, that is consistent with the lack of public filings attributing direct, material ownership to Gates personally as of the most recent public filings. For the up‑to‑date position, consult primary SEC data sources.

How Public Disclosures Work (13F, DEF14A, Insider Filings)

To verify any public equity holdings, including answers to “does bill gates own any apple stock?”, you should know how common SEC forms work:

• Form 13F — filed quarterly by institutional investment managers with at least $100 million in qualifying assets; shows long equity positions and is useful to see institutional holdings such as those by asset managers and trusts.
• DEF 14A / Proxy Statements — used when a shareholder or group of shareholders controls or beneficially owns more than 5% of a company’s voting securities, or when shareholder votes are solicited. Large beneficial owners may appear here.
• Forms 3/4/5 — insider filings for officers, directors, and certain beneficial owners when they acquire or sell equity; Form 4 shows transactions and is timely for insider trades.

Timing and thresholds matter: 13F filings report positions at quarter‑end and are due within 45 days after the quarter ends, so they can lag market moves. Forms 4 are filed within days of an insider trade. A private trust or foundation might report beneficial ownership on a proxy if it crosses 5% thresholds. Because of these rules, apparent discrepancies between media summaries and filings can occur; always consult the primary SEC filings for definitive verification.

Misconceptions and Common Questions

Common confusion around “does bill gates own any apple stock?” stems from a few repeat themes:

• Confusing Microsoft’s 1997 investment with Bill Gates’ personal ownership. The 1997 investment was primarily corporate (Microsoft) and strategic, not identical to Bill Gates as an individual owning Apple shares.
• Equating Gates’ name or trusts with Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings. A Gates‑related trust holding Berkshire shares causes indirect exposure when Berkshire holds Apple, but that is not direct Apple ownership by Bill Gates personally.
• Relying purely on third‑party aggregators without checking SEC filings. Aggregators are useful but can lag, mislabel, or include historical snapshots; primary filings remain the authority.

To answer the search intent behind “does bill gates own any apple stock?” precisely: public documentation and mainstream reporting indicate no significant, directly reported personal Apple position in Bill Gates’ name as of the most recent public filings through January 22, 2026. Gates‑related entities, however, can have indirect exposure through holdings of other firms that themselves own Apple.

Timeline — Key Dates and Events

• August 1997: Microsoft announced a $150 million investment in Apple and licensing agreements; contemporaneous coverage (industry press and Macworld archives) described this as a strategic deal that helped stabilize Apple.
• Late 1990s–early 2000s: Microsoft’s initial stake in Apple was reduced and eventually sold over time, removing the direct corporate link that existed after the 1997 agreement.
• 2018–2020: Analysts and media examined how large institutional holders such as Berkshire Hathaway created indirect exposure channels for various investors, and several pieces explained how trusts could be exposed to Apple indirectly through such holdings.
• Ongoing (through 2026): Public SEC filings (13F, Forms 3/4/5, and proxy filings) remain the definitive sources to confirm direct personal or institutional ownership; as of January 22, 2026, no public filings attribute a material direct Apple position to Bill Gates personally.

See Also

• Apple Inc. ownership structure
• Berkshire Hathaway holdings in Apple
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust portfolio
• Microsoft–Apple history (1997 deal)
• How to read SEC Form 13F, DEF14A, and Forms 4/5

References and Source Notes

The following are the types of sources and reporting used to shape this article; you should consult primary filings for verification:

• Contemporaneous coverage of the 1997 Microsoft–Apple deal (technology press archives and Macworld coverage from August 1997).
• Business news retrospectives and investor reporting on Microsoft’s later divestment of Apple shares and ownership changes (industry press and business outlets covering the late 1990s–early 2000s).
• Analyses showing how trusts and institutional holdings produce indirect exposure (examples include articles and calculations published around 2019–2020 by technology and financial outlets).
• Public SEC filings — Forms 13F, Forms 3/4/5, and proxy statements — are the authoritative sources for confirming direct and institutional holdings; verify via the SEC EDGAR system for the most current data.
• Portfolio and transaction trackers that summarize filings and trades (useful as references but verify against primary filings due to reporting lag and aggregation differences).

As of January 22, 2026, these reporting practices remain the standard method to confirm whether a named individual or entity directly owns a material stake in a public company.

Practical Steps — How to Verify “Does Bill Gates Own Any Apple Stock?” Yourself

1) Check SEC Forms 4/5 for any insider transactions filed in Bill Gates’ name or in known personal accounts. Forms 4 report recent insider trades and are submitted within days of a transaction.

2) Review DEF 14A/proxy materials if you suspect a beneficial ownership stake over typical thresholds (for example, 5% ownership disclosures are often filed when required).

3) Look up 13F filings for institutional managers (including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust if it meets the institutional threshold), which list long equity holdings at quarter‑end. Remember that 13F reporting is quarterly and lags activity.

4) If you find a Gates‑related trust holds a stake in a company like Berkshire Hathaway, and Berkshire itself holds Apple, use the indirect exposure arithmetic described above to estimate economic exposure on a dollar basis. Always match filing dates and market prices when doing the math.

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Final Notes and Practical Takeaways

To re‑emphasize the core answer: when people ask “does bill gates own any apple stock?” the accurate response depends on the sense of “own.” Public historical reporting shows a corporate connection in 1997 via Microsoft; Microsoft later divested that stake. Public SEC filings and major ownership summaries do not show Bill Gates as a direct, material, named personal holder of Apple shares as of the most recent filings through January 22, 2026. Gates‑related trusts, however, may have indirect exposure to Apple by holding shares in other entities (notably Berkshire Hathaway) that themselves own Apple stock. That indirect exposure is financially meaningful for the trust but distinct from Bill Gates personally owning Apple shares in his own name.

For the most current answer to “does bill gates own any apple stock?” consult the SEC primary filings described above and cross‑check the filing dates and valuation dates used by any aggregator or news summary. If you want to track similar ownership questions in real time or manage exposures, explore Bitget’s market tools and the Bitget Wallet for custody and trading solutions.

Further exploration: review Apple’s institutional ownership filings, Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings disclosures, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust’s periodic filings to see how ownership links evolve over time.

Note on sources and verification: this article summarizes public reporting and filing conventions. It does not provide investment advice. For definitive legal confirmation of ownership, consult primary SEC filings and official company disclosures.

Want to check holdings yourself? Use the SEC EDGAR database to search Forms 13F, 4, and proxy statements. For asset management and custody tools that support equities and digital assets, consider exploring Bitget and the Bitget Wallet to manage positions and check holdings in a single platform.