Bill & Melinda Gates' Big Decision About Their Daughter's Education Had An Unexpected Outcome

Bill and Melinda Gates may have divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage (and their relationship may have had its fair share of secrets), but the influence of their partnership continues to be felt in ways both big and small. One of the most surprisingly influential moments happened when their oldest child, Jennifer Gates, was in kindergarten. As Melinda recalled to Business Insider, they had already decided on sending her to a particular school for the long term. Unfortunately, it was pretty far away from home, so Melinda thought that they should wait to enroll her until she was a little bit older. Her husband had another idea. As she recalled, "Bill was really quite adamant that he thought we should start then. And he said, 'I'll drive them.'"

Melinda was appreciative of the offer, though also a little surprised. His work at Microsoft obviously kept him incredibly busy. Plus, his commute was already quite long, and a school drop-off was not going to make it any shorter. But as it turned out, this arrangement had a noticeably positive effect on the wider school community. During one of her mornings dropping off Jennifer, Melinda had an eye-opening interaction. She recalled, "Other moms sidled up to me and said, 'Hey, do you see what's changing in the classroom?'"

Melinda realized that Bill wasn't the only school dad dropping off his kids. His example was a big reason for that, whether he realized it or not. According to Melinda, the other moms told her, "We went home and told our husbands, 'If Bill Gates, who's the CEO of Microsoft right now, can drive his kid to school, so can you!'" Clearly, this was a convincing argument.

Bill Gates' decision to drive his daughter to school was not just a win for gender equity, it was also a chance for him to experience some of the best that fatherhood has to offer. As Melinda Gates told Business Insider, "Bill and the kids cherished those moments in the car. 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."

Jennifer Gates, who has undergone a stunning transformation since she was born in 1996, graduated from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2024 and then started a pediatric residency there. And of course, her dad was still right by her side to continue supporting her academic journey. He wrote on Instagram, "From pre-K to MD—I'm so proud to officially call you Dr. Gates."

The warm feelings are clearly mutual between father and daughter. When Bill's memoir "Source Code" hit bookshelves in February 2025, Jennifer was quick to recommend it and highlight her dad's unique influence on her professional journey. As she wrote in an Instagram story (via People), "A big part of why I'm a doctor is because my dad has always instilled this belief in me that scientific advancements — be they AI ultrasound or a vaccine for malaria — are going to make the world a better place." Those early morning drives to school sure are paying off, even decades later!