If you look here:
https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/
Bill Gates is only the 5th richest.
…but the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment total of $75.2 billion.
So, his wealth ($149 billion) + foundation ($75 billion) = $224 billion.
So, my question is…can he spend that foundation money any way he wants instead of spending his personal money? If he wants a jet can he just use the foundation money? If so, then he is still the richest person in the world even though he does not get labeled as such in the news anymore.
No.
The page you link has the foundation’s leadership structure. He’s a cochair on the board with 8 total people. The board is a degree removed from day to day operations of the foundation. He’d have to convince the board to then convince the executives.
That transaction would then show up in their financial statements, which are audited and publicly posted on that website. Meaning using the foundation’s money for something like a private jet would likely become public knowledge within a couple years and would do irreparable harm to the foundation’s reputation. Maybe they could hide it but good luck convincing everyone involved it’s worth the risk without a shitload of additional corruption.