Melinda French Gates says she wants to be seen as 'thriving' after divorce from tech billionaire Bill Gates

By Phong Ngo May 13, 2025 | 11:31 pm PT

Melinda French Gates says she’s moved on after her high-profile divorce from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and hopes people see her as "thriving" in the next chapter of her life.

"Look, divorces are painful, and it's not something I would wish on any family," Melinda said in a recent interview with Elle, discussing the end of her 27-year marriage. She acknowledged the pain but also described the decision as one of the most significant of her life. "But again, I knew when I got divorced, I would be okay on my own. And I think that was the most important thing."

When asked what she would want people to know about her if they searched for her on Google five years from now, she replied, "She's thriving on the other side of a divorce. Just thriving."

Her comments follow those made by her ex-husband Bill, who told The Times in January that their split was "the mistake I most regret." Despite their divorce, the 69-year-old tech mogul noted that they still meet at family events.

Bill Gates and ex-wife Melinda French Gates. Photo from Instagram

Melinda and Bill first met in 1987 when Melinda began working as a product manager at Microsoft. After seven years of dating, they married in 1994. The pair share three children: Jennifer, 29, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22. They announced their separation in May 2021, after what Melinda described as "grueling" and lengthy negotiations. Their divorce was finalised in August 2021.

In a 2022 CBS interview with Gayle King, Melinda discussed the emotional aftermath of the divorce, saying she was "grieving" the loss of something she thought would last a lifetime. "I had a lot of tears for many days," she recalled. "How can this be? How can I get up? How am I going to move forward?"

However, in a recent interview with People while discussing her new memoir "The Next Day," the 60-year-old philanthropist said she is dating someone right now and is "very, very happy." Meanwhile, Bill is dating Paula Hurd, 63, the widow of former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd.

The former couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, and they split their property according to a separation contract, as reported by Business Insider. Following their split, Bill transferred over $6 billion in stock to Melinda, bringing her estimated net worth to $30.5 billion, according to Forbes. Bill's net worth stands at $112.5 billion as of May 14.