Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates makes SHOCKING claims about divorce with ex-wife Melinda, says wife had many...

Bill Gates expressed that his divorce from ex-wife Melinda is likely one of his biggest regrets, in a recent interviwe with the Times of London. The Microsoft co-founder acknowledged that although he has made many mistakes, none weigh as heavily on him as this one. The couple, who were married for 27 years, have since moved on and seem to have found new love.

At 69, Bill Gates is currently in a relationship with Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd. Despite moving forward, he continues to have a close friendship with his ex-wife, Melinda, with whom he has three children. In an interview with The Times in London, Gates discussed how family and marriage offered him the stability that helped keep him ‘grounded’ during the process of building his trillion-dollar company.

"I'm more cheerful now," he said, but admitted that divorce was 'the mistake “I regret the most.” The Microsoft co-founder claimed his divorce from Melinda tops the list of his biggest failures.

“There are others, but none that matter,” he said. “The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.”

Currently, both Melinda and Bill Gates are dating other people, but they have managed to maintain a positive relationship for the sake of their children and grandchildren. 

Bill shared, "Melinda and I still spend time together as a family. We have three children and two grandchildren, so there are always family events." He added that their children are doing well and possess strong values. The former couple, who have three children—Jennifer (28), Rory (25), and Phoebe (22)—announced their divorce in May 2021, although they had been separated for a year before that.

However, Bill Gates once mentioned that Melinda had many boyfriends during their early relationship, which he described as relatively casual. In the 2019 Netflix docu-series 'Inside Bill’s Brain,' the former couple revealed that when they started dating, they both approached it with a laid-back attitude. 

“She had other boyfriends, and I had Microsoft,” Bill said. “We were like, ‘Hey we are not really serious about each other, are we? We are not going to demand each other’s time.’” This context sheds light on Gates' feelings regarding their relationship and the subsequent divorce.

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates divorce

Bill and Melinda Gates officially divorced in 2021, with both saying that the privacy provided by the COVID-19 lockdowns allowed them to navigate the process quietly. Gates is currently in a relationship with Paula Hurd, a mother of two. The couple made their first public appearance together on the red carpet in April 2024 at the Breakthrough Prize Ceremony and have been spotted together multiple times since.

Meanwhile, Melinda is starting fresh with her new boyfriend, entrepreneur Philip Vaughn. Vaughn worked as a programmer at Microsoft for nearly nine years and is now the founder and chairman of Tavour, a craft beer delivery company he established in 2011.