Divorcing Melinda is my greatest regret — Bill Gate
American billionaire Bill Gates has said his 2021 divorce from Melinda French Gates is the mistake he regrets the most.
In an interview with The Times of London, the 69-year-old former Microsoft executive shared his disappointment, explaining that one of his life’s biggest aspirations was to emulate his parents’ 45-year-long marriage.
Gates and Melinda, 60, first crossed paths in 1987 when she joined Microsoft as a product manager. They tied the knot in Hawaii in 1994 and went on to co-found the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, a nonprofit organisation focused on tackling global poverty and disease. She, however, stepped down from the foundation in May 2024.
According to him, “I encouraged Melinda to be a little calmer than my mother was, but we were both quite driven. I spent more time with the kids than my dad did, but the ratio was still 10:1, with Melinda doing most things for the kids. We had a great time.
I believe there is a certain wonderfulness to spending your entire adult life with one person, especially when you share children together, as well as fond memories and shared projects.
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.”
When asked if divorce was his only failure in life, Bill told The Times of London: “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. It’s mistake I most regret.
Melinda and I still see each other — we have three kids and two grandchildren, so there are family events. The kids are doing well. They have good values.”
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