Bill Gates Says His Divorce Is 'At The Top Of The List' Of Failures In His Life
In the candid interview, which was published on January 25th, the businessman and philanthropist was asked whether the end of his marriage was his biggest "failure" so far. And he said that it is "at the top of the list."
"There are others but none that matter," Gates continued, adding: "The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years."
The computer programmer and entrepreneur is now dating Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle executive Mark Hurd, and told the pub that he is a little "more cheerful" these days. However, he said that he still considers divorcing Melinda, 60, to be “the mistake I regret the most.”
Also in the interview, the How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need author confessed that he was inspired by his parents' 45-year marriage, and originally wanted the same for himself and Melinda. However, as we know, his plan didn't quite work out.
"There is a certain wonderfulness to spending your entire adult life with one person because of the memories and depth of things you have done and having kids together," he said, before going on to explain that Melinda leaving their nonprofit last year really stung.
Bill Gates Says He Was 'Disappointed' His Ex-Wife Resigned From Their Foundation After Divorce
Bill and Melinda founded their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to combat global poverty and disease, back in 2000. However, Melinda resigned in May 2024, just a few years after they went their separate ways and divorced.
"When Melinda and I met, I was fairly successful but not ridiculously successful – that came during the time that we were together. So, she saw me through a lot. When we got divorced it was tough and then she made the decision to leave the foundation — I was disappointed that she took the option to go off."
Bill Gates And Melinda Gates Still 'See Each Other'
Melinda may not be part of the foundation anymore, but she still spends time with her ex-husband due to the children and grandchildren they share.
They are parents to son Rory, 25, daughter Phoebe, 22, and daughter Jennifer, 28. They are also grandparents to Jennifer's two daughters, Leila and Mia.
"Melinda and I still see each other," the How to Prevent the Next Pandemic author told the pub, adding: "We have three kids and two grandchildren, so there are family events. The kids are doing well. They have good values."