Bill Gates is reflecting on his divorce from Melinda Gates after more than two decades of marriage.
“That was the mistake I regret the most,” Bill, 69, shared in an interview with The Times of London published on Saturday, January 25. Despite the challenges surrounding their split, he admitted that he feels “more cheerful now.”
Bill and Melinda, 60, announced their separation in May 2021 after 27 years together. The couple, who married in 1994, share three children: Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe.
Speaking with The Times, Bill acknowledged that he had always hoped to emulate his parents’ 45-year marriage in his own relationship with Melinda.
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“I encouraged Melinda to be a little more easygoing than my mother was, but we were both highly driven,” he explained. “I spent more time with the kids than my dad did, but the ratio was still 10:1, with Melinda handling most things for them. We had a wonderful time together.”
The billionaire philanthropist added, “There’s something incredible about spending your entire adult life with one person—the shared memories, the depth of experiences, and raising kids together.
When Melinda and I met, I was already successful but not to an extreme degree—that came during our time together. She was there through it all.”
Bill and Melinda’s relationship began in 1987 when she joined Microsoft as an employee. After marrying, the two co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. However, following their divorce, Melinda chose to leave the organization.
Bill Gates and Melinda Gates (Photo: Getty Images)
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“When we divorced, it was tough, and then she decided to leave the foundation—that was disappointing for me,” Bill admitted to The Times.
He also considers the divorce—finalized in August 2021—as one of his biggest personal setbacks.
“If I had to rank my biggest failures, this would be at the top,” Bill stated. “There are other mistakes, but none that compare. The divorce was miserable for both me and Melinda for at least two years.”
Since parting ways, the former couple has remained focused on co-parenting their now-adult children, setting aside any personal differences for the sake of their family.
“Melinda and I still see each other—we have three kids and two grandchildren, so there are plenty of family gatherings,” Bill noted to the U.K. newspaper. “The kids are doing well. They have strong values.”
Melinda has previously been candid about her healing journey following the breakup.
“It’s unbelievably painful in countless ways, but I had the privacy to work through it,” she told Fortune in October 2022. “I also had to keep working with the person I was separating from, and I had to show up as my best self every single day.
Even if I was crying at 9 a.m., I had to be on a video conference by 10 a.m. with the person I was leaving. And as a leader, I learned that I could do it.”!
