Growing up in a US$130 million mansion, Rory Gates is the only child of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. He is regarded as “compassionate and curious.”Along with his two sisters, Jennifer Gates Nassar, 28, and Phoebe Gates, 21, Rory, 25, grew up in the vast 66,000 square feet (6,130 square meters) lakefront mansion known as Xanadu 2.0 in Medina, Washington, which is valued at $130 million, according to the South China Morning Post.
He seems to enjoy a low-key life with hidden social media profiles, an interest with puzzles, and a tight relationship with his mother. Melinda described him as “compassionate and curious” in a 2017 essay she wrote for TIME magazine.
Bill and Melinda made sure their three children followed strict guidelines, despite their affluent lifestyle: no cell phones until the age of fourteen, and nighttime dishwashing tasks.
After the kids finally got their phones, they had to follow tight rules like not using them at the dinner table and controlling how much time they spent on screens.
In Seattle, Washington, Rory went to the same elite private high school as his father—Lakeside School.
After that, he pursued the same academic path as his mother, graduating from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in computer software engineering and economics and then the Fuqua School of Business with an MBA.
He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2022, and a Facebook photo shared by the University of Chicago Moot Court Team appears to show that he participated in moot court there.
His older sister Jennifer announced on social media that he had graduated with a master’s degree with a double major.
There isn’t much public knowledge regarding Rory’s activities following graduation. But according to an article published by the news site Puck last year, he is pursuing a PhD and working as a congressional analyst, as reported by Business Insider.
In addition, he just made a rare public appearance on May 23 when he showed up arm in arm with his mother for the White House state banquet.
Page Six reports that while Melinda intended to boost their children’s inheritance, Bill Gates has reportedly revealed that he plans to leave each of his three children a paltry legacy of $10 million, a fraction of his $131 billion net wealth.