"A miserable thing for us"

Bill Gates: Divorce from Melinda was a mistake

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has described his divorce from Melinda as a "mistake". "That was the mistake I regret the most (...). There are other things, but none that matter," said the 69-year-old.

"The divorce thing was miserable for Melinda and me for at least two years," he told the British Times. Gates divorced his wife Melinda in 2021 after around 27 years of marriage. The couple have three grown-up children. "Melinda and I still see each other - we have three children and two grandchildren, so there are family events."

But he had actually wanted to emulate his parents, who had been happily married for 45 years. "I encouraged Melinda to take it a little easier than my mom, but we were both very committed," Gates said. "I spent more time with the kids than my dad did at the time, but the ratio was still 10:1 and Melinda did most of it for the kids. We had a great time".

Building a foundation together
The entrepreneur has since remarried. Together with Paul Allen, he founded the IT giant Microsoft in 1975 and is now one of the richest people in the world. Together with Melinda, Gates built up a foundation that is one of the most important donors in the field of healthcare and development cooperation. He now runs it alone.

Melinda's departure "disappointed" him, he said. His autobiography "Source Code" is due to be published in German on February 4.