Bill Gates has made many “mistakes” in his life – but he says his biggest “regret” is his divorce from his wife of 27 years, Melinda French Gates.
The Microsoft co-founder, 69, and Melinda, 60, announced their split in 2021 after they quietly separated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Bill has since found love again with the widow of late Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, Paula Hurd, but he still counts his split from Melinda as his biggest “failure” in life.
“That was the mistake I most regret,” Bill told The Times of his unraveled marriage.
“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 continued.
“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,” he added, referring to the Bates Foundation, which she co-founded with her former spouse.
Admitting their divorce is his only “failure” that “matters”, he said: “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.”
© Getty ImagesWhile their split may have made them both “miserable”, Melinda is grateful that they were able to have a private breakup.
“It gave us the privacy to do what needed to be done in private,” she told Time in June 2024 about going through their split during the pandemic.
“Getting a divorce is a horrible thing. It’s just painful. It’s awful when you realize you need one,” she added, before clarifying that divorce is a “hard thing” not a “horrible thing”.
© InstagramBill and Melinda are parents to daughters Jennifer, 28, Phoebe, 22, and son Rory, 25, and despite their split, they still appear to maintain an amicable relationship for the sake of their family.
“Melinda and I still see each other – we have three kids and two grandchildren so there are family events,” Bill added to The Times. “The kids are doing well. They have good values.”
Bill isn’t the only one who has found another relationship following their divorce, Melinda is still believed to be dating tech mogul Philip Vaughn.
© Getty ImagesThe philanthropist was spotted holding hands with the Seattle-based founder of craft beer delivery company Tavour in October as they touched down in New York City via helicopter.
Philip appears to be the secret man Melinda hinted at during her Time interview. When asked if she was dating someone, she coyly answered: “Not that I’m ready to talk about.”
© Getty ImagesMelinda was previously dating Fox News correspondent, Jon Du Pre, but it was confirmed in April 2024 that they parted ways after they were first linked in November 2022.
Bill’s relationship with Paula was confirmed in February 2023 after they were spotted on various outings together, including the Australian Open the month prior, and the Laver Cup in September 2022.
