Bill Gates on His Children’s Future
Tech billionaire Bill Gates has made it clear that he doesn’t expect his children to take over Microsoft, emphasizing that he wants them to achieve their own success rather than following in his footsteps in the tech world.
“You know, it’s not a dynasty. I’m not asking them to run Microsoft,” Gates told Raj Shamani on his podcast, “Figuring Out.” “I wanna give them a chance to have their own earnings and success, be significant and not overshadowed by the incredible luck and good fortune I had.”
Gates explained that those who have made fortunes from technology are often “less dynastic” with their wealth. “You don’t want your kids to ever be confused about your support for them and your love for them,” he said. “I do think explaining early on your philosophy that you’re gonna treat them all equally and that you’re gonna give them incredible opportunities, but that the highest calling for these resources is to go back to the neediest through the foundation.”
Bill and Melinda French Gates, who divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, share three children: Jennifer, 29, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22. His eldest daughter, Jennifer, reflected on her privileged upbringing in a 2020 interview with Sidelines magazine. Rory is currently pursuing a PhD at the Institute of World Politics and working as an analyst for the Afghanistan War Commission. Meanwhile, Phoebe graduated early with a degree in human biology last year and recently launched an AI-powered platform called Phia that aggregates clothing prices from over 40,000 websites.
Gates also revealed that his children will inherit only a fraction of his fortune. “In my case, my kids got a great upbringing and education but [will get] less than 1 percent of the total wealth because I decided it wouldn’t be a favor to them,” he explained. As of April 14, Forbes estimated Bill’s net worth at US$107.5 billion, meaning even 1% would still exceed US$1 billion for each child.
