Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, spoke about his divorce from Melinda in an interview with the British Times this Saturday, January 25.
Poignant confidences. After nearly three decades of marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their separation in May 2021. The billionaire considered this separation his biggest regret. “I encouraged Melinda to be a little calmer than my mother, but we were both very driven. I spent more time with the kids than my dad, but the ratio was still 10:1, with Melinda doing most of the kid stuff. We had a great time,” he told the media. In particular, he hoped to replicate his own parents' 45-year marriage.
The tech mogul explained that he wanted to have the same marriage as his parents, which is 45 years old. “There's a certain wonderfulness to spending your entire adult life with one person because of the memories and the depth of the things you've done and having children together,” he said. affirmed.
“When Melinda and I met, I had some success, but not ridiculous success – that happened during the time we were together. So she helped me through a lot of things. When we divorced, it was difficult and she made the decision to leave the foundation – I was disappointed that she chose to leave,” he revealed.
“an unfortunate experience”
The former couple first met in 1987, when Melinda became a product manager at Microsoft. After their marriage in Hawaii in 1994, they founded an eponymous organization dedicated to the fight against poverty and disease around the world. Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce in May 2021, although they had been separated for a year. After their breakup, the 60-year-old resigned from the foundation.
-Even though he has become “more cheerful” over the past four years, he still considers the breakup “a mistake.” “There are others, but none of them matter. Divorce was an unhappy experience for Melinda and I for at least two years,” he continued.
However, they have maintained good relations for their three children, Jennifer (28 years old), Rory (25 years old) and Phoebe (22 years old), as well as their two grandchildren. “Melinda and I still see each other […] We organize family events. The children are doing well. They have good values,” he concluded.
Bill Gates is now in a relationship with Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle executive Mark Hurd.
