“I literally never hear my dad talk about the start of Microsoft,” Phoebe revealed on her podcast, “The Burnouts” which aired on April 1, “I literally mostly just remember him talking about the foundation. I remember me wanting to start the company and him being like, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?'”
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Bill Gates and his daughter Phoebe Gates. Photo courtesy of Phoebe’s Instagram |
Phoebe explained that her parents were “really cautious” when she expressed her desire to drop out of college to start a business, according to Business Insider.
“They were very much like, ‘You need to finish your degree; you don’t just get to like drop out and do a company.’” she shared. “Which is so funny because my dad literally did that, and that’s, like, the reason I’m able to go to Stanford or have my tuition paid.”
She also opened up about the insecurities she faced when she first arrived at Stanford University. She confessed to feeling pressure, given her family background, and said she grappled with the sense of being a “nepo baby.” “I had so much insecurity and, like, such a desire to prove myself,” she admitted. “I was like, I have so much privilege.”
The 22-year-old graduated early last year with a degree in human biology. In an interview with Nylon in June, she explained that she felt compelled to finish her degree because she wanted to be there for her mother, Melinda, who delivered the commencement speech at Phoebe’s graduation.
She is the youngest of three children born to Bill and Melinda French Gates, who divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. She has two older siblings: Jennifer and Rory.
In a recent interview, Gates, 69, revealed that each of his three children will inherit less than 1% of his fortune, currently valued at over US$100 billion. According toForbes, Gates’ net worth stood at $107.5 billion as of April 14. Even 1% of that sum would amount to more than $1 billion for each of his children.
