Bill Gates
When people think of Bill Gates, they usually imagine green. Over forty years, the founder of Microsoft has accumulated a net worth of more than $100 billion. And while a lot of other billionaires' fortunes go to their heads, Bill is different.
For the last 25 years, Bill has stayed away from relationship pitfalls that a lot of other wealthy people get into, he's remained faithful to his wife Melinda Gates. In recent years, they have revealed the trick that keeps their relationship afloat and as stable as Windows 10.
Secret Of Success
While many billionaires have had a divorce at least once, Bill Gates and Melinda are still very much in love and they haven't let all the money and fame get between them.
And their secret to relationship success is not what you'd expect. Bill and Melinda have their reasons to stay together and remain faithful after all these years.
Visionary
Before Bill had ever laid eyes on his future wife, everyone working for him knew he had an outstanding vision and an IQ to match it. He had all the right qualities for success.
He had an IQ between 160 and 170 and was passionate about all electronics. This made it clear to everyone that he was going to go places.
Microsoft
All the people that said he'd succeed ended up being very right! In 1975, Bill's brilliant team and his good friend Paul Allen Started up a small tech company.
This company would end up not only changing Bill and his team's life but everyone else's to come. The company is called Microsoft. Bill knew it had potential but he never knew it would end up so big.
Going Public
By 1981, Bill's Microsoft had grown so he employed 128 employees and by 1985, He decided Microsoft was ready to go public. Their first day open their shares skyrocketed from 21$ per to 28 per.
This success was something bill never expected. Sure he had a vision but one can never be too sure on opening day.
Over Dinner
In 1987, two years after their success. A marketing manager named Melinda French came on board but nad never met bill before until they coincidentally sat next to each other at a dinner event for the company.
Bill had never taken the time to talk to her before. Once the two looked at each other they felt a unique connection that they hadn't felt before.
Curiosity
Melinda can remember exactly how she felt when she first started talking to Bill, he was her boss at that point but that didn't stop her curiosity.
“When I look back, I had a lot of respect for [him], and [he] had respect for me,” Melinda says. “I was definitely attracted to his brilliant mind, but beyond that, his curiosity. And he has a huge sense of fun. I love that wry side of him.”
Funny Side
Melinda still remembers all the good times from when they first met. She also remembers that bill used to, and still does, make her laugh, she said: "he was funnier than I expected him to be."
When people think of Bill they don't think of a comedian, but in actual fact, Bill has a funny side that he doesn't often show in public. Even so, their special connection would complicate their professionalism
Difference In Positions
However, their difference in positions was a big factor in their relationship at the time. With Melinda being a market manager and Bill being the owner of the company their worlds were very different.
“I was down several levels at Microsoft," she said, "and [Bill] was the CEO. We’ve had to change to really be coequals.”
Fancy Parties
Even when Bill and Melinda decided it was time to go public with their romance, it wasn't an easy road to travel. Bill's world was reflected in the money and position he held at Microsoft.
Melinda suddenly found herself going to fancy parties with Bill and wearing fancy dresses she couldn't afford. She started traveling in a limo and eating extravagant food she'd never had before.
Headfirst
Even though Bill and Melinda certainly had their difference in worlds, the two remained faithfully together. It was on New Year's Day in 1994 that they decided to get married.
And instead of taking a nice relaxing honeymoon, these two decided to do the opposite. They jumped headfirst into their next venture.
Time Off
Melinda had always wanted to use her talents in marketing to help people that needed it. And now that she was wife to her husband Bill who had the means.
She wanted to take time off of work to travel the world and find people that needed the help of her skills. And what do you think Bill thought of all this?
Anniversary
In 2019, the husband and wife celebrated their silver anniversary. "Bill, when I met you nearly thirty years ago, I never could have imagined all of the things we'd build together," Melinda said. No wonder people wanted to know the secret to their love!
Melinda said that she couldn't be happier that she met Bill at that dinner event all those years ago. If not for that night both Melinda and Bill might have been different people from the ones we know today.
Kids
The couple can't take all the credit for making the marriage work. When Melinda and Bill started having kids is when they truly knew that they couldn't be happier with each other.
Their three kids, Jennifer, Phoebe, and Rory, have made their life complete, and according to Melinda, Bill would do anything to spend time with their little ones, including driving them to school!
A Privilage
“Bill and the kids cherished those moments in the car," Melinda said. "Listening to music together, the conversations over many years that they had – it’s a side of him that they might not have seen otherwise. It would’ve been a missed opportunity.”
Bill's softest side showed itself with his kids. He loves them so much and is so interested in their lives. Watching them grow up is a privilege for the billionaire.
Full-Time Mom
Because Bill was still busy running a billion-dollar company and driving his children around, Melinda decided to become a full-time mom. Once again, the marriage's dynamic shifted.
Melinda didn't mind being a full-time mom. She loves her children so much and enjoyed raising them so closely where a mom with a full-time job might not be able to.
Help Of Her Husband
Yet this didn't mean that she would be a hard-working housewife without the help of her husband. "One night I realized I was still in the kitchen a good ten, 15 minutes after everybody else doing the last-minute things,"
Melinda continued by adding: "Now, nobody leaves the kitchen until I leave the kitchen!"
Switching Gears
When the Gateses aren't doing the dishes, they're expanding on Melinda's dream. She wants to make the world a better place.
Together they've made great things happen. They began supporting one charity after another until they eventually decided to switch gears.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
They knew they needed to do more than just donate. They wanted to be more involved. At the turn of the century, they created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This foundation became the largest private foundation in the world. Its slogan reads: “All lives have equal value. We are impatient optimists working to reduce inequity.”
Foundation's Aims
The foundation helps improve education in both the U.S. and developing countries. Workers try to cure several life-threatening diseases by distributing vaccines in places that need them.
The Gates are proud of their work and know it's making the best difference possible to all those in need. Still though they wish that they could do more.
Kept Busy And Happy
All in all, the charity kept Bill and Melinda busy and happy. They seemed to have worked out exactly how to deal with their different roles, their money, and their notoriety.
The couple has always felt like their power dynamic has always been fairly equal. Bill may be a genius but Melinda is a visionary of her own.
Other Tech Moguls
But what about other tech moguls who aren't known for slapping on those dishwashing gloves?
While Bill could be considered the O.G. computer master, there are a couple of others who could use a little help with their love life.
Zuckerberg
The world best knows Mark Zuckerberg as the founder and CEO of Facebook. That's right, he's the guy who started the site where your friends overwhelm you with dog and baby photos.
But if you asked Mark, he'd describe himself totally differently. He sees himself in a different light to the one of Bill and his wife.
Family Man
The tech guru said that his most important job is being a family man. His wife Priscilla Chan means way more than any social media project.
After all, they've been together longer than Facebook has existed! Zuckerberg and his wife seem to also have that same special connection that Bill and Melinda do.
First Encounter
Zuckerberg and his Priscilla first encounter was in a bit of a different setting than that of Bill and Melinda's chance meeting. Fate, or maybe just a happy accident, forced them together at a crowded frat party in 2003.
The two were living similar worlds at the time. Both Priscilla and Mark were attending Harvard University at the time, though he nearly blew his first impression.
Pick-Up Line
Mark had to think of something to say to her. Fumbling for a pick-up line, he told Priscilla he'd rather go on a date with her than finish his take-home midterm.
She almost walked away from Mark then and there but found they had a natural chemistry. Granted, the students were on very different tracks.
Reputation
The two had different visions for their future. Priscilla, the first in her family to attend college, studied biology. She hoped to eventually move on to medical school and become a doctor.
Mark, as a computer science concentrator, wasn't in any of her classes. However, she did know him by reputation. Mark's reputation was quite formidable at Harvard.
Prodigy
The fresh-faced Zuckerberg established himself as a programming prodigy, but one with a penchant for getting in hot water.
He nearly got expelled after he built a website called Facemash, which allowed Harvardians to rate the attractiveness of their fellow students.
Thefacebook
However, that failure provided the inspiration for a networking site called Thefacebook, which Mark founded in his dorm. Once it started to take off, he dropped out of Harvard following his sophomore year. Priscilla, meanwhile, stayed to finish her degree.
The two's lives shifting when Priscilla kept her goals ahead of her. Mark on the other hand found new goals away from furthering his education.
Meeting In The Middle
Though Zuckerberg and his Facebook launch team moved out to Silicon Valley, he made it clear that he wanted to stay with Priscilla.
She gave it some thought and told him she needed to continue her studies. She met him in the middle by enrolling in med school at the nearby University of California, San Francisco.