Bill Gates must have a Micro-soft spot for her.
The tech billionaire is reportedly dating Paula Hurd, the widow of the late Oracle president and millionaire Mark Hurd.
Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, was spotted out and about with Paula last month while enjoying the Australian Open.
They were also seen taking a stroll together around Melbourne and have reportedly been seeing each other for more than a year.
The news of their alleged romance comes nearly two years after he and Melinda Gates announced that they were divorcing after 27 years of marriage.
Here are six things to know about the woman who has seemingly stolen Gates’ heart.
A widow to Mark Hurd
Paula was married to the late Oracle co-CEO, Mark Hurd, until he died at the age of 62 in October 2019 after a reported battle with cancer. He and Paula got married in 1990 and shared two kids: daughters Kathryn and Kelly.
Paula was Mark’s second wife. He was previously married to Elizabeth A. Butler from 1980 to 1987.
Mark was the head of computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard from 2005 to 2010 but he left over a sexual harassment scandal and joined Oracle a month later. He was reportedly worth $500 million at the time of his passing.
A techie too
Paula and Gates may have bonded over their mutual background in tech. She previously worked as a tech executive at NCR Global, a digital banking software company.
She worked at the company for 17 years, taking on various sales and services leadership positions until leaving in 2001, according to her LinkedIn.
Working and giving back
Paula currently works as an event planner and philanthropist. After leaving her career in tech, Paula pivoted to event planning and philanthropy.
In her LinkedIn bio, she describes herself as a “Developer and organizer of memorable mid- and large-scale event experiences for personal, corporate and charitable occasions.”
She currently works as a coordinator for event space Club 27.
She also sits as a portfolio manager for Hurd Family Investments, sits Board of Regents at Baylor University and works as a philanthropist and volunteer at MPH Investments.
Go Longhorns, go!
Paula graduated from The University of Texas in Austin, according to her LinkedIn.
She was a student there from 1980 to 1984 and graduated with a degree in Marketing.
Game, set, match.
Like Gates, Paula appears to have a long-standing love of tennis. She and her late husband used to attend several tennis matches together. She even crossed paths with Gates in 2015 when they were seated in the same box for a match in California.
Since striking up a relationship with Gates, the duo has been seen enjoying the sport together. Last month, Paula and Gates attended the Australian Open together where they enjoyed the Men’s Singles Final together.
No kidding around
While things seem to be getting serious for the couple, Paula has reportedly not yet met Gates’ three children from his marriage to Melinda.
“It’s widely known that Bill Gates and Paula Hurd are dating, but she hasn’t met his kids yet,” a source told People in February.
Bill shares three kids with Melinda: daughters Jennifer and Phoebe and son Rory.
Still, Paula is growing quite close with Bill as a source told the Daily Mail in February, “They’re inseparable.”
The post Who is Paula Hurd, Bill Gates’ rumored new girlfriend? appeared first on Page Six.
