Microsoft’s co-founder, Bill Gates, has opened up about his life, shedding more light on what his biggest regret in life is.
The tech billionaire revealed that his divorce from Melinda French Gates is the one thing he regrets the most in his life.
It’s been more than three years since they divorced, and Mr. Gates is finally sharing a part of his private life that he rarely speaks about with the public.
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Reflecting on his divorce from Melinda French Gates, the 69-year-old considered the events of the past three years
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“That was the mistake I most regret,” he told the U.K. newspaper The Times in an interview published Jan. 25, later adding, “You would have to put that at the top of the list. There are others, but none that matter. The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.”
In 2021, Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder and a prominent philanthropist, and his wife Melinda French Gates, parents to Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22, announced their separation after 27 years of matrimony.
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Looking back, I cherish the years I spent building a life with Melinda,” Bill said. “The memories we created, the children we raised, the shared experiences—they’re irreplaceable. She’s seen the best and worst of me, and I’m incredibly grateful for her presence in my life. Although he was successful, Bill credits his marriage to Melinda with contributing to his career success.
“Achieving the level of success I’ve found with Microsoft required an extraordinary confluence of factors,” Bill Gates explained. “My birth year, my parents’ influence, the advantages of being a white male in the United States, my competitive spirit nurtured by my grandmother, the encouragement of teachers who recognized my unique mind, and finally, the grounding influence of my marriage to Melinda—all these elements played a crucial role.”
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The publication of Mr. Gates’ interview comes eight months after his ex-wife Melinda resigned as co-chair of their shared charitable foundation, which was then renamed from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Gates Foundation.
“The divorce was undoubtedly a difficult period,” he shared. “I was saddened by Melinda’s decision to leave the foundation, but I respect her choice.”
Despite being in a relationship with Paula Hurd, the wife of the late Oracle Corporation CEO Mark Hurd since 2023, two years after he and Melinda finalized their divorce, Bill and his ex remain involved in each other’s lives.
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He was quick to add that they still see each other because they share three kids and two grandchildren from their daughters’ marriage to Nayel Nassar, an Egyptian-American professional equestrian. There are a lot of family events.
He was elated that despite the divorce, “The children are doing well and developing strong values.”
