Tech

Meet Bill and Melinda Gates’ Gen Z daughter Phoebe, a Stanford graduate, activist, and fashion entrepreneur


Meet Bill and Melinda Gates’ Gen Z daughter Phoebe, a Stanford graduate, activist, and fashion entrepreneur

Bill Gates and Phoebe Gates in formal attire standing next to each other and posing for a photo.

Bill and Phoebe Gates attending the Time100 Gala in June 2022.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images.



  • Phoebe Gates, 22, is the youngest daughter of Bill and Melinda Gates. 
  • She has over 240,000 followers on TikTok, where she posts about her life and passions. 
  • The Stanford graduate is eyeing a career in fashion with a platform called Phia.

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As one of the richest people in the world, Bill Gates is a household name, and now we’re getting to know his youngest daughter, 22-year-old Phoebe, too.

Through her social-media pages, Phoebe Gates has been sharing her life with her hundreds of thousands of followers, from her stances on national issues to videos of bubble-tea dates with her dad.

With parents like Bill and Melinda Gates, it’s no surprise that she appears to be an overachiever: In June, she graduated from Stanford University after wrapping up her human biology degree in three years. She’s already teased the release of her sustainable fashion tech platform, attended fashion weeks around the globe, and become an outspoken social activist. Oh, and last the world heard, she’s dating Paul McCartney’s grandson.

Here’s what we know about her life and interests based on what she’s shared online.

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Phoebe Gates is the youngest daughter of Bill and Melinda Gates.

Bill and Melinda Gates spoke at a Goalkeepers event at the Lincoln Center in 2018.

Bill and Melinda Gates at a Goalkeepers event in 2018.

LUDOVIC MARIN/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images



Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, who married in 1994 and divorced in 2021, have three children: Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22. The children all went to Seattle’s Lakeside School, a private high school their father also attended, and are now on different trajectories.

Jennifer is a decorated equestrian who graduated from medical school in May, while Rory is a congressional analyst, according to a 2023 Puck report. While her brother stays out of the spotlight, Phoebe is sharing her life online, and has ambitions in the fashion industry.

The three Gates children will inherit at least some of their parents’ wealth: Bill Gates has said he plans to leave them “only” $10 million each.

“I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favor to them,” Gates said in a 2013 Reddit “Ask Me Anything.” “Warren Buffett was part of an article in Fortune talking about this in 1986 before I met him, and it made me think about it and decide he was right.”

Today, nearly five decades after cofounding Microsoft, Bill Gates has an estimated fortune of $139 billion, Forbes reported in September. He left Microsoft’s board in 2020 — although is still reportedly “intimately involved” at the company — and has remained focused on the Gates Foundation, which he once ran with French Gates. She also became a billionaire following their divorce.

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She shares glimpses of her parents on her social media pages, which have accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers.

Bill Gates and his daughter, Phoebe Gates, pose for photos at the TIME100 Gala in New York in 2022.

Bill Gates and his daughter Phoebe Gates.

Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images



As of September 2024, Phoebe Gates has 474,000 followers on Instagram and 243,300 followers on TikTok.

A day after posting a video of her sharing bubble tea with her dad in October 2023, she gained over 59,000 TikTok followers, according to analytics website Social Blade.

“Father-daughter bubble tea time,” read a caption under the TikTok post.

In the clip, which has received 16.9 million views on TikTok and uses “As It Was” by Harry Styles as a backing track, Phoebe sits opposite her billionaire father as they both poke straws into cups of bubble tea and smile at one another overlooking a Manhattan skyline.

Bill Gates has made appearances on other creators’ TikTok accounts in the past, often participating in math or art challenges, although he does not have an account himself.

Phoebe Gates has also shared moments with her mom, most recently posting a birthday tribute on Instagram in August. Beneath a carousel of recent and childhood photos, she wrote, “Mom, you taught me first and most about love. You inspire me forever, and always, and now the whole world. Happiest birthday to you.”

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Gates graduated from Stanford University in June, and she has previously vlogged about her college life.

Phoebe Gates posed in a black short-sleeved midi dress and black pointed-toe heels during New York Fashion Week. She accessorized with a black handbag.

Phoebe Gates at a 2024 New York Fashion Week event.

Christian Vierig/Contributor/Getty Images



While studying at Stanford, Gates showcased her dorm room and filmed vlog-style updates about her life at college. In one TikTok posted in December 2022, she filmed herself riding a bike to a stats class, and later showed herself making a very student-esque pasta dish for dinner.

In June 2024, she graduated after just three years, telling Nylon, “I knew I had to make it happen if I could, because I wanted to watch my mother deliver this year’s commencement speech as a graduate. I can’t think of a better ending!”

Gates blogged her graduation day with the outlet, sharing that she celebrated the milestone with a party attended by her mom, dad, and boyfriend Arthur Donald, the 25-year-old grandson of Paul McCartney.

“So grateful to have my parents by my side on this day,” she wrote.

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She is passionate about sustainable fashion and is pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities in the industry with her own platform, Phia.

Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates posed at the Shawn Carter Foundation 20th Anniversary Black Tie Gala in July 2023.

Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates are the founders of the fashion-tech company Phia.

John Lamparski/Stringer/Getty Images for Roc Nation



On TikTok, Gates has previously posted about attending fashion week in Copenhagen and New York. She has also shared informational clips about sustainable fashion and promoted buying secondhand clothes.

In August 2023, Vogue reported that Gates is co-launching her own fashion platform, called Phia, with her fellow Stanford student and roommate Sophia Kianni (pictured above left).

That month, the duo landed a partnership with Stella McCartney and her namesake fashion house, designing a capsule collection of handbags in honor of the US Open’s 50th anniversary.

Gates told Vogue, “Stella has been able to build this empire while still holding onto her values. We reached out many times, and eventually, she really took us under her wing and has since been an advisor to us as we build out this platform.”

Kianni also added, “We want to identify everyone who is doing incredible things, learn from them, and see how we can accelerate progress together.”

As of September 2024, the company has upward of 43,000 followers on Instagram with the bio, “The smartest way to shop. Follow to find out.”

So far, Phia has shared moodboards, outfit inspiration carousels, and secondhand fashion finds.

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Following in her parents’ footsteps, Gates is an outspoken social activist.

Phoebe Gates, Busy Philipps, and Tlaleng Mofokeng speak on stage at the Global Citizen Festival 2023

Phoebe Gates, Busy Philipps, and Tlaleng Mofokeng attend the Global Citizen Festival 2023.

Gotham/WireImage/Getty Images



The 22-year-old appears to be taking after her parents, especially her mother, who has advocated for access to birth control around the world for many years. One of the topics Gates has frequently addressed on her TikTok and Instagram pages is reproductive health and advocating for abortion rights.

She’s posted TikToks of herself speaking about access to contraception at events, including Goalkeepers, hosted by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and shared resources on her Instagram.

In January 2023, Phoebe shared a TikTok where she and her mom discussed women’s access to contraceptives.

“So you’re a huge advocate for contraceptives,” Phoebe said to her mom. “I mean, you’ve always hammered this into me since I was a child, about deciding for my body and having body autonomy.”

In December 2023, the mother-daughter pair shared another conversation on TikTok where Phoebe explained why she’s an advocate for reproductive health.

“I think for me, coming for age in this country, our generation has been put in a spot where a lot of times we feel quite a bit powerless,” she said. “You know, not having the freedom to make choices about your own reproductive health, your own … your very own body.”

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In September 2024, Phoebe was featured in an episode of her father’s Netflix documentary series, “What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates.”

Bill and Phoebe Gates posed together at the TIME 100 Gala in 2022.

Phoebe was featured in Netflix’s new documentary series, “What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates.”

Nina Westervelt/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images



Phoebe Gates was featured on the series’ second episode, “Truth or Consequences?” She spoke with her father about social media and misinformation.

She said she sees conspiracy theories about him online “all the time,” and shared, “I’ve even had friends cut me off because of these vaccine rumors.”

The pair also shared a funny generation-gap moment when the senior Gates asked, “And how many IDs do you typically have on a system?” His confused daughter replied, “How many what?” which led to Bill offering clarification so she could explain that yes, people often have multiple accounts on the same social media platforms, such as a public one and a “spam” for close friends.

Phoebe Gates went on to describe her social media strategy, saying that she understands people often come to her page because of her last name but likes to add information about reproductive health and justice in her posts.

“It’s a fine line between being personable but then also weaving in your real agenda. OK, here’s the numbers, here’s the science, here’s the facts,” she said.

The pair finished their conversation with an important reminder for the father of three: “Text me, don’t email me,” Phoebe Gates said. “No one uses email for personal communications.”

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In June, she confirmed she’s dating Paul McCartney’s grandson, Arthur.

Phoebe Gates and her date at the premiere of "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans" held at MOMA on January 23, 2024 in New York City.

Arthur Donald and Phoebe Gates at an event in New York City in January 2024.

John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images



In her June 2024 graduation diary for Nylon, Gates shared photos of herself with her boyfriend, Arthur Donald. Alongside one of the images, she joked that he “cleans up nicely,” while in another, he carried her on his back.

Donald, 25, is the oldest of Paul McCartney’s eight grandchildren, People reported. He is the son of the Beatles’ star’s daughter, Mary, and her ex-husband, Alistair Donald.

He grew up in London and attended Yale University. He is an investor at the Collaborative Fund, a venture capital firm “for entrepreneurs pushing the world forward,” according to its website.

Gates and Donald were also pictured together at the premiere of “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” held in New York City in January.

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