Bill Gates has spoken about the downfall of his marriage to ex-wife Melinda, calling it the mistake he ‘regrets most’.
Bill, 69, split from Melinda in 2021, after 27 years of marriage.
At the time, the couple’s separation caused widespread surprise, and in a recent interview with the Times, the Microsoft co-founder called it ‘the mistake I most regret’.
“The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years,” he said, explaining he’s ‘more cheerful’ now but still considers it to be ‘the mistake I most regret’.
“When Melinda and I met, I was fairly successful but not ridiculously successful — that came during the time that we were together,” said Bill.
“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.”
Bill and Melinda split in 2021 (Lou Rocco/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Bill and Melinda met in 1987 when Melinda was working as a product manager at Microsoft.
They married in 1994 and went on to have three children together – Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, Phoebe, 22 and two grandchildren, Leila and Mia.
Speaking about his ‘failures’ in life, Bill added: “You would have to put that at the top of the list. There are others but none that matter.
“… 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.”
The couple back in 1998 (Victor Malafronte/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The pair have moved on with new partners, with Bill dating Paula Hurd while Melinda is dating entrepreneur Philip Vaughn.
Melinda has also spoken about the couple’s separation, revealing how the timing of the split allowed the pair to come to a decision about their marriage in private.
Speaking about how they separated during the COVID pandemic, Melinda told Time: “It gave us the privacy to do what needed to be done in private.
“You know, I separated first before I made the full decision about a divorce. And to be able to do that in private while I’m still trying to take care of the kids, while still making certain decisions about how you’re going to disentangle your life — thank God.”
Melinda also spoke about the ‘new opportunities’ in her life, adding: “I live in a neighborhood. Now I can walk to little stores. I can walk to the drugstore, I can walk to a restaurant.
With the rise of AI, many people are trying to guess what the future will look like, and Bill Gates has weighed in on the debate.
Just like any new piece of technology there are those that think it will be game changing and others that feel it is a fad that will pass.
Sometimes they are completely on the money, remember Google glass? Didn’t think so.
Other times they couldn’t be further from the truth. In 1998, American economist Paul Krugman predicted the internet would simply be a fad and will grow slowly.
Now, with Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has explained his thoughts on AI and its place in future.
In an interview with Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast, Gates said that AI won’t magically solve problems that humans aren’t already good at.
He explained how he uses AI himself and said: “I’m using it all the time and saying, ‘Okay, no, it’s not good enough for this — but wow, it is good enough for that.'”
“If it’s a problem that humans are not good at dealing with, then present techniques don’t create some novel approach,”
He clarified that AI essentially works a lot faster at doing tasks that humans do slowly.
So for certain tasks, artificial intelligence can be a game changer and we have already seen it improving multiple industries across the world, with new programs and algorithms created with the help of AI everyday.
Christophe Viseux / COP28 via Getty Images
However, for things that are difficult to predict or quantify, things like the creative process, human happiness or relationship satisfaction, according to Gates, AI won’t magically solve issues related to this on its own.
This makes sense as humans have always struggled with these things and had variable degrees of success throughout history.
“I actually think in mental counseling AIs will play a role, but boy, we’re going to have to be very careful about that,” Gates continued.
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“That’s going to require a lot of work that has not been done yet.”
The tech mogul also argued that many AI programs, well, simply get things wrong and can even stumble with complex math.
“It doesn’t know to check its answers,” he said.
“A Sudoku puzzle, you have to do a lot of recursive reasoning and it doesn’t know to take extra time.”
The AI says it ‘mistyped’ rather than admit it was wrong, Gates added.
“It’s so apologetic, and it says it’ll try again, but of course it gets it wrong again.”
Well, give it time, and I’m sure we can come up with an AI program that perfectly solves sudoku puzzles.
Bill Gates may be one of the richest people on the planet but he doesn’t plan on staying that wealthy forever.
The Microsoft co-founder has an estimated net worth of $153 billion (about £120 billion), which makes him the fifth-richest individual in the world.
In 2022, Bill Gates made a surprising statement when he explained he’d like to donate a large portion of his wealth to his philanthropic organisation, meaning his children would only inherit a small amount of his wealth and that he would move down and ‘eventually off’ the list of the most loaded people on the planet.
This is not to say that Gates hasn’t indulged in some lavish expense throughout the years. The centibillionaire purchased several dreamy properties around the US as well as sports cars, of which he’s an avid collector.
Bill Gates is among the disgustingly rich few with a net worth of more than $100 billion. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
With a fraction of his fortune, the businessman bought an estate on a 12-parcel land worth $183.5 million. His estate, named Xanadu 2.0, is located in Medina, Washington, and reportedly took Gates seven years and $63 million to build.
Xanadu 2.0 consists of six kitchens, 24 bathrooms, and a home theatre for 20 guests, as well as a library and various garages that can house up to 23 cars (but more on automobiles later).
A 60-foot pool is housed in its own separate building and boasts an underwater sound system, while Gates is said to have imported sand straight from St Lucia in the Caribbean to populate the shore surrounding the house.
Unsurprisingly, the mansion of the tech billionaire includes some display screens on the walls that can show different paintings or photographs, but Xanadu 2.0 also features real artworks, like a $36 million Winslow Homer painting, and precious collectibles, namely a 16th-century Leonardo da Vinci manuscript that Gates secured at a 1994 auction for the eye-watering price of $30 million.
Alongside Xanadu 2.0, Gates also owns several other properties, being one of the largest private landowners in the country. Gates’ portfolio includes a $35 million 20-acre estate in Wellington, Florida, an $18 million 228-acre Rancho Paseana in California, a $43 million oceanfront home in Del Mar, California, and a 6-bedroom home built on the grounds of Indian Wells’ Vintage Club, to name a few.
The Microsoft co-founder bought a Porsche 911 when he first started making money in 1979. (Doug Wilson/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
He also owns the 71.25 percent of the Four Seasons hotel chain, as well as having invested in the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco with some unnamed buyers for the sum of $161 million and in Bud Light’s parent company for $95 million.
However, Gates didn’t just splurge on personal luxuries, including holidays, several Porsches and a private Bombardier BD-700 Global Express. The entrepreneur has invested in several philanthropic endeavours and healthcare with his ex-wife Melinda, with the couple donating $5 million to Alzheimer’s research, $2 billion to defeat malaria, and $50 million to fight Ebola, amongst other causes.
As for what will happen to his fortune in the future, Gates stated that he would leave his three children ‘just’ $10 million each, but ‘virtually’ all of his money would go to the philanthropic organisation he shares with his ex-wife, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bill Gates has revealed the one major regret he had while starting up Microsoft.
Much like his multi-trillion dollar business, Gates is a household name and isn’t shy of sharing his wisdom with other budding entrepreneurs.
The technology magnate co-founded Microsoft in 1975 alongside friend and computer programmer Paul Allen.
The pair wanted to make computing more accessible, with 20-year-old Gates dropping out of Harvard to pursue the venture.
Some risks really do pay off…
Paul Allen and Bill Gates nine years after founding Microsoft (Doug Wilson/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Led by Gates, Microsoft went on to revolutionize the world of computing and software and is now the largest vendor of computer software in the world.
The 69-year-old is now the seventh richest person on Earth, with a net worth of $107 billion.
With almost 50 years of experience under his belt, it’s safe to say Gates has learned a lot. He’s already shared his top tips for tackling common job interview questions, including the dreaded subjects of salary expectations and why you should be hired.
But in Microsoft’s early days, he wishes there was one major thing he’d done differently.
And in 2023, Gates shared the mistake he made with Northern Arizona University’s graduating class.
Bill Gates is now the seventh-richest man in the world (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
He admitted he rarely took time off work, explaining: “When I was your age, I didn’t believe in vacations. I didn’t even believe in weekends. I pushed everyone around me to work very long hours.”
Gates went as far as scouting the parking lot every day in a bid to ‘keep track of who is leaving early and who is staying late’.
It took him a hell of a long time – decades, in fact – to realize that working in such a way wasn’t sustainable.
He reflected: “As I got older – and especially once I became a father – I realized that both in terms of doing your best work and having a great life, that that intensity was not always appropriate.
“Don’t wait as long as I did to learn this lesson.”
Gates with his youngest daughter Phoebe (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
He added: “You are not a slacker if you’ve cut yourself some slack. It took me a long time to learn [that].”
Gates and ex-wife Melinda are parents to Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25 and Phoebe, 22.
It’s safe to say the philanthropist has enjoyed some luxurious vacations over the years, including a $30,000-a-night getaway in Vietnam’s Son Tra Nature Reserve and a family holiday on a $5 million-a-week superyacht in Sardinia, Italy.
So the next time you catch yourself burning the candle at both ends, remember Gates’ wise words.
Bill Gates has revealed his perfect response to a job interview question that would have most of us stumped.
And if you’re going to take career advice off anyone, it should be him.
The tech magnate is famed for co-founding Microsoft back in 1975, and some nearly 50 years on, he’s worth a huge $105.9 billion.
We all know the job hunt can be one hell of a rollercoaster.
From finding your dream role, to filling out all the details of a seemingly-endless application, only for it to end in rejection – it can be pretty disheartening.
Then, there’s the times you make it to interview, only to be let down with very little feedback.
Not to mention that job interviews themselves are a minefield, especially as answering just one question wrong could instantly get you rejected.
Some bosses even pull secret stunts in a bid to catch interviewees out, from the now-famous coffee cup test to the lesser-known ‘salt and pepper’ test.
But there’s one question you can answer in a way which helps you seriously stand out.
And that’s your salary expectations.
Talking about money during a first interview could be daunting – and while Gates doesn’t give an actual figure you should ask for, he explains how best to answer it.
Salary questions can be tricky to navigate (Boy_Anupong/Getty Images)
He advises saying: “I hope the option package is good. I’m able to take risk and I think the company has a great future, so I prefer to get stock options even more than cash compensation.”
He adds: “I hear some other companies are paying a lot, but treat me fairly and emphasize the options.”
Gates is showing he’s no pushover by exploring a number of options, even if they aren’t on the table.
And he’s proving he’s invested in the business by tying his earnings to his performance – which then, in turn, demonstrates his confidence in his own performance abilities.
This sentiment could easily be adapted for any company that has a bonus scheme.
For example, you could talk about how you’re dedicated to proving why you should earn 100 percent every quarter by giving the best output you can.
The question is a chance to show real confidence in your abilities (Drazen Zigic/Getty Images)
This shows that, while you’re here to make money personally, you’re also dedicated to performing for the company.
If salary was a cause for concern, however, it would be the case of checking what the average wages for similar roles are and basing it off that.
It’s actually become more commonplace for employers to include salaries within their job adverts.
In August 2023, job site Indeed reported that half of US job posts uploaded to their website advertised ‘at least some employer-provided salary information’- the highest share yet recorded by the company.
