Billionaire Melinda French Gates shrugs off criticism from 'tech bros' over her philanthropy

By Phong Ngo May 22, 2025 | 08:44 pm PT

Melinda French Gates says she refuses to be distracted by criticism from male tech leaders who question the philanthropic work of wealthy women.

In a recent interview on Scott Galloway’s podcast, the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates responded to what she described as recurring attacks from industry figures. "I ignore it," she replied succinctly, as reported by Business Insider. "I know who I am and I know what I am doing and I know what my values are and why I am giving back."

"I'm not sitting on the sidelines," she said. "I'm in the arena doing the work."

Melinda has faced public backlash for her charitable efforts, most notably from Elon Musk. In June, after she endorsed U.S. President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, Musk commented on a post by Babylon Bee staffer Ashley St. Clair, who said: "Many super villain arcs being pursued under the guise of philanthropy," claimed philanthropy was being used to hide "super villain arcs."

"Yeah," Musk replied.

Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of tech billionaire Bill Gates. Photo from Instagram

Musk has also criticized Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, for her charitable giving, in a now-deleted post on X, claiming that "'Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse' should filed be listed among 'Reasons that Western Civilization died.'"

Melinda emphasized that she will not allow attacks or criticism to deter her, explaining that those not actively involved in the work are often the loudest critics. "I think when you're not doing the work and you're not in the arena, it's easier to criticize others and to project onto others or make them look bad because you don't want to go do that work," she said.

"That's up to them. If that's how they want to act? Fine, but it doesn't bother me. My work goes ahead."

Melinda, who announced her divorce from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, continues to pursue her philanthropic work independently. In May 2024, she resigned from the Gates Foundation, which she co-founded with Gates in 2000, taking US$12.5 billion with her, according to NPR.

Her charitable efforts are now primarily led by Pivotal Ventures, the investment and incubation company she founded in 2015. Her estimated net worth stands at $30.7 billion as of May 22, according to Forbes.