Bill Gates Shares Several Grandkids with Ex-Wife Melinda — "Every Moment is Pure Joy"
Bill's grandkids bring him joy; here's what we know about them.
Published Oct. 28 2025, 4:28 p.m. ET
When it comes to Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates, most people already know his big professional accomplishments. As a guru in the tech world and one of the architects of the modern internet age, Bill is well-known for his ability to create.
What people might not know is that he has created quite a large and booming family with his ex-wife, Melinda.
The two former spouses share several grandkids from one of their three children. Here's what we know about Bill Gates's grandkids, whom he clearly dotes on.
Here's what we know about Bill Gates's grandkids.
Bill and Melinda Gates have been titans in the tech industry, using their professional influence to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists through the Gates Foundation. But their marriage wasn't meant to be forever, and they divorced in 2021.
However, before they called it quits, they created a beautiful family together.
Bill and Melinda share three children: their oldest daughter, Jennifer Gates, who is 30 now; their oldest son, Rory, who is 25 now; and their youngest daughter, Phoebe, who is 23 now.
Rory and Phoebe don't appear to have settled down yet, but Jennifer is another story entirely.
The oldest Gates child is married to Nayal Nasser, a professional horse rider who specializes in show jumping. They share two children together: 2-year-old Leila and 1-year-old Mia.
Bill seemingly dotes on his grandchildren, sharing a photo of himself with Leila to social media, captioned, "Happy 2nd birthday, Leila. You’re growing up so fast. Every moment with you is pure joy — and I can’t wait for all the adventures ahead." He lovingly added, "P.S. Thanks for making me a grandpa."
Bill Gates has a very specific plan for his family's inheritance.
Although Jennifer and Nayal censor their daughters' faces, it's clear that Grandpa Gates is smitten.
However, this begs the question: How will his children and grandchildren split their inheritance when one of the world's richest men, who is just "dad" or "grandpa" to them, passes away?
Interestingly, Bill has explained his plans. In an early 2025 podcast interview with Indian podcaster Raj Shamani, Bill revealed that his three children, and presumably his current and any future grandchildren, will inherit “less than 1 percent” of his hefty wealth (excerpt via Page Six).
Forbes notes that Bill's net worth is around $101.2 billion, with Page Six adding that, "1 percent of that amount is still upward of $1 billion."
This is, of course, a large enough inheritance for any three humans. And, as a philanthropist, Bill wants his money to go toward his and his ex-wife's charitable endeavors.
He said on the podcast that he thinks everybody gets to decide what happens to their money. "In my case, my kids got a great upbringing and education, but less than 1 percent of the total wealth because I decided it wouldn’t be a favor to them. It’s not a dynasty. I’m not asking them to run Microsoft.
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."
He mused that he hoped his children were "very proud" of the Gates Foundation, which is the world's largest charitable foundation, effecting change around the globe.