While he loves sipping Diet Coke, Bill Gates has bought 10.8 million shares worth a whopping $902 million in Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer.

Via Facebook / @Bill Gates


Centibillionaire Bill Gates doesn’t relish beer, but the businessman still acquired a 3.76% stake in Heineken Holding NV for a whipping $902 million. A filing dated Feb. 17 indicated FEMSA sold all 18 million shares it held in Heineken Holding. The Microsoft co-founder Gates purchased 10.8 million shares worth $939.87 million at current market prices. Of these, 6.65 million shares were purchased directly, and 4.18 million shares through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. That leaves me with just one thought- How much of Heineken would he buy if he did like beer?

Via Facebook / @Bill Gates

Beer drinkers were not glad to learn that Gates wasn’t a fan of the drink. “I am not a big beer drinker,” Gates wrote in response to the question on the “Ask Me Anything” thread on Reddit in 2018. “When I end up at something like a baseball game, I drink light beer to get with the vibe of all the other beer drinkers. Sorry to disappoint real beer drinkers.”

The Heineken factory in Amsterdam.

The one drink that Gates does enjoy is Diet Coke. The tech billionaire once reserved a Michelin-star restaurant in Barcelona for two days to only order a Diet Coke and leave. The way to this man’s heart is not gourmet food or beer; it is indeed Diet Coke.

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