Phoebe Gates reveals tech billionaire father Bill Gates has Asperger’s syndrome, calls him ‘socially awkward’

Appearing on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast hosted by Alex Cooper, the 22-year-old was asked what it was like introducing boyfriends to her billionaire father, The Independent reported.

"For the guy, terrifying. For me, it’s hilarious because my dad’s pretty socially awkward," she said. "Like he’s said before, he has Asperger’s. So, like to me, it’s so funny."

The 69-year-old tech billionaire has not publicly identified as having Asperger’s syndrome, a now-retired diagnosis previously used for some people with autism. Today, it is part of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a broader classification that includes challenges with social interaction, communication, repetitive behavior, and obsessive interests.

In his memoir "Source Code: My Beginnings", released on Feb. 4 and excerpted by The Wall Street Journal, Gates wrote: "If I were growing up today, I probably would be diagnosed on the autism spectrum."

Bill Gates and his youngest daughter Phoebe Gates. Photo courtesy of Bill Gates' Instagram

"My parents had no guideposts or textbooks to help them grasp why their son became so obsessed with certain projects, missed social cues, and could be rude or inappropriate without seeming to notice his effect on others," he wrote.

Gates also noted that the term "neurodivergent" was not coined until the 1990s, and formal testing for ASD only became available in the 1980s, by which point he was already in his late twenties and early thirties.

In a February interview with Axios, Gates said he recognized from a young age that he was different from his peers. "I always knew I was different in ways that confused people in terms of my energy level and intensity, and going off and just studying things," he said. "And it's a little confusing when you're a kid, that you're different, or people react to you in some ways, or your social skills — you're miscuing on various things."

"I definitely think my parents, maybe somewhat unintentionally, because there was no diagnosis, but the way they would explain things to me or push me to socialize was very helpful," he added.

He recalled the first time someone suggested he might have ASD: "Somebody said to me, ‘Are you on the spectrum?’ It was like 25 years ago," he said. "I remember thinking, ‘What the hell? What the hell? I run a goddamn company.’ And then I realized, well, actually, it’s probably true. I mean, the spectrum thing is confusing."

Despite the challenges, Gates said he has no desire to change how his mind works. In an interview with The Times, he said: "If they ever invent a pill where they could say, 'OK, your social skills will be normal but your ability to concentrate would also be normal,' I wouldn't take the pill," adding that his unique cognitive wiring enabled him to write his first computer code as a teenager, laying the foundation for Microsoft.

As of April 14, Forbes estimated Gates' net worth at US$107.5 billion.