It’s the kind of perk that sounds made up: lifetime free McDonald’s for one of the richest men on Earth. But yes, Bill Gates—the co-founder of a trillion-dollar company and a guy worth well over $100 billion—can walk into any McDonald’s on the planet and order a Quarter Pounder without pulling out his wallet. Not because of a glitch in the Matrix, but because he holds a coveted McDonald’s Gold Card. That’s right. Free fries. For life.
And yes, the internet has thoughts. Lots of them
The existence of this «golden» fast food pass came back into the spotlight after Gates casually confirmed it during a TikTok appearance with chef and influencer Nick DiGiovanni. When asked whether he really had a McDonald’s Gold Card, Gates admitted, «They actually sent it to me. My friend Warren Buffett got one before I did… But then a few months later, they sent one to me.» Though he noted he rarely uses it—because, as he put it, «I can afford to buy the food»—that didn’t exactly soften the blow for many viewers.
Signed by former McDonald’s CEO Michael R. Quinlan, Gates’ card reportedly dates back to the 1980s or ’90s. It’s a one-way ticket to endless fries, Big Macs, and McMuffins, no matter where he is in the world. And according to Gates himself, he’s a «Quarter Pounder with cheese guy.»
But as soon as the clip made the rounds online, it triggered a wave of backlash from social media users, many of whom saw the card as the ultimate symbol of inequality. «Why does a billionaire need a discount on fries?» one user asked bluntly. Another chimed in, «The less you need the money, the cheaper things get.»
On Reddit, where the story was posted under a forum meant to spotlight «interesting» facts, users found it anything but. «Give free food to the person that earns millions annually,» one person wrote. «You’ll never not be able to afford McDonald’s, here’s free food for life just because you’re rich,» another added.
One commenter summed up the sentiment with a quote-worthy jab: «Just another example of how the more money you have, the less money you actually need to spend to live.» Others mocked the system entirely: «That’s so awesome!!!! People who’ll never have to worry about money getting free food. Isn’t this communism???»
Even Gates’ burger preferences weren’t spared. Some noted that in Seattle, the tech billionaire was more frequently spotted at local chain Burgermaster than at a McDonald’s drive-thru. Others dug up Buffett’s own quote from years back, when he flashed his Omaha-only McGold Card on CNBC and joked, «Mine is just as good as [Gates’]—I never leave Omaha.»
Still, no one was laughing when the conversation turned to the reality that most people can’t afford what’s on the McDonald’s menu these days. «This world is completely ass backwards,» one user wrote. «Give that card to a homeless person, FFS.»
Another person called it «late-stage capitalism in a nutshell.»
To be fair, the McGold Card is extremely rare—and not just reserved for tech billionaires. According to past reports, actor Rob Lowe once showed his on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and there are rumors that select celebrities and local heroes in certain communities have been gifted similar passes. But none have sparked quite the same reaction as Gates and Buffett, who could arguably buy every McDonald’s franchise and still have cash to spare.
As one commenter put it: «Rewarding people who never have to worry about food insecurity by granting them lifetime free food. I wonder where EXACTLY humanity went wrong.»
Whether it’s a PR stunt from another era or just an old-school corporate gesture gone viral in the wrong decade, the takeaway is clear: in a world where fries aren’t free for most, giving them away to billionaires doesn’t exactly hit the sweet spot. Or the salt.