Bill Gates Says He's Not an Overly Frugal Billionaire—But by His Grandmother's Standards, He's 'Crazy' for Tossing Gift Bags and Wrapping Paper

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Despite his massive charitable contributions, Gates has repeatedly pledged he’ll eventually disappear from the ranks of the world’s wealthiest individuals. “I will drop down and eventually off the list altogether,” he said confidently in a 2022 GatesNotes blog post, further emphasizing his belief that excessive wealth has its limits. 

His philosophy? After a certain threshold, money doesn’t significantly improve life. As he said back a 2011 Q&A at the University of Washington, “I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, there’s a certain freedom, meaningful freedom, that comes with that. But once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it’s the same hamburger. 

While Gates may never match his grandmother’s standards for saving wrapping paper, his legacy of generosity suggests he’s aiming for a very different kind of standard altogether—one measured in global impact rather than frugality.

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