Sorry, ladies, but I regret to inform you that Bill Gates is officially off the market. That’s right, after two years of speculation, Gates has confirmed that he has a “serious” girlfriend and they are “having fun” doing completely normal rich couple activities, like going to the Olympics. Just another casual date night, amirite?! (/sarcasm) Anyway, Bill’s lady, Paula Hurd, is a philanthropist and events organizer. She’s also the widow of the late Oracle CEO Mark Hurd. Bill talked a little bit more about their relationship while plugging his memoir on Today.
Bill Gates is finally opening up about his relationship with girlfriend Paula Hurd! The billionaire philanthropist — whose debut memoir Source Code: My Beginnings is out now — spoke about his new romance during an appearance on the Today show Tuesday, Feb. 4, telling Savannah Guthrie, “I’m lucky to have a serious girlfriend named Paula.”
“We’re having fun,” Gates, 69, said. “Going to the Olympics and lots of great things.”
News of the couple’s pairing began circulating in 2023, around four years after the death of Hurd’s husband, former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, and two years after Gates’ marriage to ex-wife Melinda French Gates ended.
Since then, Hurd has been by the Microsoft co-founder’s side on numerous occasions, including Jeff Bezos’ engagement party and the Paris Olympics. Last April, they even made their red carpet debut at the 10th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Gates’ appearance on Today came days after The Times of London published an interview with him, in which he called his divorce from French Gates “the mistake I most regret.”
He clarified his comments on the NBC morning news show, explaining that he wasn’t saying he wished the split wouldn’t have happened.
“Despite the fact that the divorce wasn’t great, having those three kids, the work we were able to do together — even if I knew that it [wouldn’t] last forever, I would still do it again.”
“My business career, though, there’s been some up and downs, has been incredibly phenomenal. My kids are phenomenal. So it’s even hard for me to complain about things,” Gates said. “I’ve moved past the divorce, and Melinda’s doing well. I’ve got a lot of work that I love to do. So I’m not really complaining about anything.”
Gates and French Gates share three children: son Rory, 25, daughter Phoebe, 22, and daughter Jennifer, 28, as well as two grandchildren, Jennifer’s daughters Leila and Mia.
Hurd, a University of Texas graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, is a developer, philanthropist as well as an organizer of “memorable” event experiences, according to her LinkedIn bio. Additionally, she is a mother of two — daughters Kathryn and Kelly.
Although Gates’ memoir takes place decades before their romance began, Hurd still got a shout-out at the end of the book.
“Early readers of the manuscript included Paula Hurd, Marc St. John and Sheila Gulati,” Gates wrote in the acknowledgements section. “The close read from dear and trusted friends provided much-needed thoughtful and insightful feedback at critical stages in the writing.”
Well, good for them, I guess. I still think his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, made out better in this situation. Speaking of, I am fascinated by Bill’s quote about their divorce being his biggest regret because it totally feels like he had some brief moment of actual introspection. He’s not trying to get back with her and he presumably doesn’t need anything from her, so maybe he did have a FAFO moment.
Anyway, back to Paula! She sounds like a normal, age-appropriate rich lady who fits right into Bill’s world of technology and philanthropy and all that. Her husband of almost 30 years passed from cancer, so hopefully she’s found happiness. I also Googled her and noticed that in every picture, she is dressed appropriately with her boobs in check, so good for Bill for not going the Bezos route with his first serious post-divorce relationship.
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – APRIL 13: Bill Gates and girlfriend Paula Hurd arrive at the 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 864753606, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Bill Gates, Paula Hurd, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
Photos credit: Rob Liggins/Netflix, Netflix Press, Best Image/Backgrid, Aissaoui Nacer/Backgrid, Nicky Nelson/Wenn/Avalon, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, IMAGO/Faye Sadou/Avalon
I was just joking around with someone at work that Bill Gates is still on the market so one of us should shoot our shot and slide into his DMs. It was a funny conversation lol My dreams are crushed!
I see that Epstein’s BFF is trying to repair his tarnished reputation. Melinda is better off without him, for sure. These wealth hoarders are bad news.
Good for Melinda to have left this guy and his ties to Epstein behind her.
It’s the kids and grandkids I really feel sorry for here, to always have that association of a very close relative to sexual abuse and trafficking of minors, in addition to all kinds of unsavory business practices.
May they all be able to continue to heal, now that BG is everywhere, shilling for his book.
I’m sure their fabulous wealth will console them.
Melinda and Paula resemble each other.
They really do. I was trying to decide who was in that top pic!
Holy cats, they really do! I thought that was Melinda in the top photo. He definitely has a type.
Divorces happen. People are idiots (Gates cheating on French with someone from work was so basic and predictable, I was as disappointed in him as I was proud of her for recognizing her worth, and walking away), grow apart, or both.
These two created and raised three normal kids who each stay out of the headlines and contribute to society, founded and ran a breathtaking philanthropic enterprise for decades (recruiting and inspiring other ultra rich people to do so, as well), and are both handling their post-divorce life, including co-parenting, dating, and relating to/speaking about each other with relative dignity and, for him, based on these comments, at least a modicum appropriate introspection.
I got nothing bad to say here. I’ve seen too many divorces stay ugly, petty, and expensive (financially and emotionally, especially for the kids) just because the parties want and can afford them to. I’ve seen people who refuse to let go and keep trying to get digs in whenever they do press, and I’m watching people like Bezos, Dennis Quaid, and others parade younger, often trashier models around as if they made an “upgrade” from their age appropriate wife and want to rub it in the ex’s face. None of that is happening here.
So I am not complimenting Gates, or giving him credit or praise for doing/saying what a man who messed up that badly should be doing/saying at this point, but I also have no snark or pettiness for him or the situation.
Classiest comment ever posted on a blog!
Wow, he’s only 69?
Her ex-husband was a major jerk (sorry for her that he passed). Lots of “downsizing” to preserve “shareholder value” before he bailed to Oracle. Maybe she has a type.
Bill Gates would never do “cheap”. Unlike Bezos and Musk.
Maybe he does if or when he’s cheating. Who knows what goes in behind closed doors.
Ok but what about that “at least she keeps her boobs in check” comment at the end? I know what&who Rosie is hinting at ofc, but I don’t think the way this is phrased fits in well with the general tone of CB. I’m actually really not feeling it.