Bill Gates: Divorcing his wife Melinda was a “mistake”

Bill Gates (69) regrets his divorce from ex-wife Melinda French Gates (60). The Microsoft founder sees it as “the mistake I regret most,” the billionaire said in an interview. “You have to put that at the top of the list. There are others, but none of them are important.” It was always his goal to recreate his parents’ 45-year marriage. But in 2021 the marriage broke up after 27 years together.

There’s a certain “magnificence” in spending your entire adult life with one person, Gates believes, especially when you share children, beautiful memories and projects. “When Melinda and I met, I was pretty successful, but not incredibly successful – that came during our time together,” Gates continues. “She has accompanied me through so many things.” For example, she would have supported him when it came to raising children: “I spent more time with my children than my father, but the ratio was still 10:1, with Melinda doing most of the things for the children. It was great,” admits the Microsoft founder.

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates met in 1987, shortly after she started working at Microsoft, and married in Hawaii in 1994. Together they became parents to three children: Jennifer (28), Rory (25) and Phoebe (22). In 2000, the couple founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable foundation to combat poverty and disease around the world. After the divorce, Melinda resigned from the foundation in May 2024. A big shock for Gates, as he admits: “When we divorced, it was hard, and then she made the decision to leave the foundation – I was disappointed that she decided to take that step.”

In the years since the divorce, Gates has become “cheerer” again and has fallen in love again. In February 2023, he announced that he was dating Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle executive Mark Hurd (1957-2021). Today he only sees his ex-wife at family celebrations.

Melinda French Gates was now in a relationship with the journalist Jon Du Pre. Although she found the divorce to be “hard” and “painful,” as it was last year, “wonderful” new opportunities have emerged over time.