Melinda French Gates: podcast appearances and interviews

Melinda French Gates is an American author and philanthropist born in Dallas, Texas. She attended Duke University, earning a bachelor's degree in computer science and economics as well as an MBA. She joined Microsoft in 1987 as a multimedia product developer and later became known for her philanthropic efforts. From 2000 to 2024, she and Bill Gates co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is recognized as the world's largest private charitable organization. Their work focused on global health, development, and education, earning them numerous awards including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honour. Following her resignation as co-chair in 2024, Gates became the sole chair of the foundation, which was renamed the Gates Foundation. As part of her divorce settlement, she received $12.5 billion dedicated to independent philanthropy, emphasizing initiatives related to women and families. She has become a prominent donor to the Democratic Party, advocating for issues such as abortion rights, and endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. In 2025, she published a memoir titled The Next Day: Transition, Change and Moving Forward. Recognized by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful women and included in BBC’s 100 women of 2021, she is also one of the wealthiest individuals globally with an estimated net worth of $30.4 billion as of February 2026, ranking her as the 72nd wealthiest person in the world.