Bill Gates does not own a controlling percentage of McDonald's, and his direct ownership of McDonald's stock is not significant as a major shareholder, though he may own small indirect stake through investment funds. McDonald's Corporation is publicly traded under ticker MCD with market capitalization over 200 billion dollars, and its largest shareholders are institutional investors like Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street, which each own 8 to 9 percent. Bill Gates's investment vehicle Cascade Investment LLC does not list McDonald's as a major holding in recent 13F filings, which show holdings in companies like Waste Management, Canadian National Railway, Ecolab, and Berkshire Hathaway. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust has held small positions in various consumer stocks over years but not a large McDonald's stake. Bill Gates may own McDonald's shares indirectly through mutual funds or index funds in his portfolio, but that would be far less than 1 percent and not reportable as significant ownership. There is confusion because Bill Gates owns large stake in Ecolab, which is a major supplier to McDonald's for cleaning and sanitation products, but that does not mean he owns McDonald's itself. Also, McDonald's uses Ecolab products, but Gates does not own McDonald's. So answer is Bill Gates owns essentially 0 percent in terms of controlling interest, and any personal holdings would be less than 1 percent and not publicly disclosed as major stake.
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