Bill Gates and Paula Hurd whose relationship went public in February 2023, were among numerous attendees at the three-day pre-wedding festivities of billionaire heir Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar, India. It appears Gates and Hurd now plan to make their relationship official, two years after Gates' much-publicized divorce from Melinda Gates
Images released from the occasion showed the 68-year-old Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist chatting with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and posing for a photo with Indian federal minister Smriti Irani. But who is Paula Hurd? Hurd, a tennis enthusiast, is the widow of late Oracle CEO Mark Hurd and reportedly has been dating Gates for over two years.
Gates in Love
This development not only signifies a fresh chapter in Gates' personal life but also intertwines the legacies of two significant figures in the tech industry. The couple's relationship, previously kept private for over a year, gained attention when they were seen at various public events, indicating a shift toward greater public visibility.
Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and a prominent figure in global health initiatives, paired with Hurd, who brings her tech background and event planning expertise, create a power couple dynamic that wields influence across various domains.
Their presence at notable events like the Indian Wells Open and the Australian Open, coupled with a recent meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, highlights the significance of their relationship.
This new collaboration arises following both individuals' experiences in managing the intricacies of public personal lives and the associated challenges.
Mark Hurd, the former co-CEO of Oracle, died in 2019 after a reported battle with cancer. He had an estimated net worth of $500 million at the time of his death.
Mark too was a tennis enthusiast like Gates and had attended several tennis matches together. Gates too was first spotted with Hurd at last year's Australian Open.
Mark ran computer and printer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard from 2005 until 2010. He left and joined Oracle a month after quitting due to a sexual harassment issue.
It is also not surprising that the Microsoft founder and an Oracle executive—both well-known names in Silicon Valley—had their paths intersect over the years.
Mark, a former college tennis scholar, and Paula were even pictured behind Gates at a tennis match in California in 2015.
Paula, on the other hand, used to be a tech executive and is now an event planner and philanthropist.
In Love Again
Paula and Gates have been together for more than two now. Paula whose maiden name is Kalupa was an executive at NCR when she married her late husband, who spent 25 years moving up the ranks at the corporation.
Paula and Mark have two daughters Kathryn and Kelly. The Hurds have been longtime donors to Mark's alma mater Baylor University, where they contributed the lead donation in 2018 to launch its $1.1 billion philanthropy campaign.
Despite receiving a marketing degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984, Paula joined her husband in supporting Baylor's national championship tennis team, among other notable efforts. And just this year, she followed their tradition by creating a new initiative that gave young, aspiring players at the BNP Paribas Open grants totaling $100,000.
News of the relationship comes close to three years after Gates and his ex-wife Melinda Gates announced they were divorcing after 27 years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in August 2021.
Melinda and Bill Gates have three children together: son Rory, 23 and daughters Jennifer, 26, and Phoebe, 20. According to the source, Jennifer is now expecting her first child with her husband Nayel Nassar and is "due any day."
Since their divorce, Gates and his ex have remained committed to their work with The Gates Foundation, which they founded in 2000.
In an interview with Fortune magazine in October 2022, Melinda Gates said that the Covid-19 pandemic gave her the "privacy to do what she needed to."
Additionally, she claimed that their marriage's "trust" had been broken by her husband's liaison with a Microsoft employee in 2000 in 2021.
