New information (dowjones news) has come out on just how much Bill Gates has managed to accumulate in broadband provider Cox Communication, by directing some of the idle 21 billion dollars his charity is sitting on, combined with his personal investment vehicle, Cascade LLC. The stake exceeds 5.8%, far in excess of the largest institutional or mutual fund position, yet this ownership is buried in SEC filings for the Gates foundation itself and referred to by Cox in its takeover battles, as coming from "private investors".

Earlier this year (UK Guardian article), it was also reported that his foundation invested large amounts in Drug companies, at a time when Microsoft is promoting protection for corporate intellectual property by enlisting support, and executive board positions, from the CEOs of those same Drug firms, Drug firms which have similar intellectual property interests.

The Bill & Melinda Foundation website does not reveal any of its stock holdings, instead it simply details its grants. The last report available, for financial year 2000, is primarily on three aspects of its charity: grants to libraries for free computers and software (windows 2000 only, and a list of microsoft software is an absolute requirement), vaccination and drug programs overseas, and education programs for schools, which seem to comprise mainly 'technology integration' courses (no prizes for a guess as to which technology is studied).

The total of grants to date are apparently $4.8 billion, but the charity currently holds $21 billion in investments, originally held in cash and bonds, but now being used (within an SEC imposed limit of 20% in any company) for investment in companies such as Cox communications, and perhaps others as yet unknown .. investments which one may argue are not coincidently also of vital interest to Microsoft Corp.