Phoebe Gates launched her business without her dad’s help.
Bill Gates admitted Thursday that he worried his 22-year-old daughter would “come and ask” him for funding when she founded an e-commerce startup with entrepreneur Sophia Kianni.
The Microsoft co-founder, who has a net worth of $108 billion, told the New York Times that his first thought was, “Oh, boy.”
While Bill, 69, said he probably would have helped fund Phia, he added that Phoebe “luckily” never asked.
“I would have kept her on a short leash and be doing business reviews, which I would have found tricky,” the businessman explained of his hesitance. “And I probably would have been overly nice but wondered if it was the right thing to do.”
The Stanford University grad launched Phia last week, with the site using artificial intelligence to help sustainable shoppers find the best e-commerce deals.
The newspaper reported that Bill, who is also the father of daughter Jennifer Gates, 29, and son Rory Gates, 25, only advised his youngest child on personnel issues.
As for his ex-wife, Melinda Gates, the 60-year-old intentionally stood back to allow Phoebe to “learn and fail.”
Phoebe noted, “She saw it as a real opportunity for [that].”
She recently admitted to experiencing “insecurity” working on Phia as a “nepo baby” with “privilege,” telling “Burnouts” listeners she felt a “desire to prove [her]self.”
Phoebe graduated from high school in 2021, going on to study human biology at Stanford University.
When she got her degree in 2024, Phoebe confirmed her romance with Paul McCartney’s grandson Arthur Donald.
As for her siblings, Jennifer is an aspiring doctor completing her residency at Mt. Sinai, while Rory is pursuing a PhD at the Institute of World Politics.
Bill revealed to podcaster Raj Shamani earlier this month that his kids will inherit “less than 1 percent” of his massive wealth when he dies.
He explained, “I wanna give them a chance to have their own earnings and success, be significant and not overshadowed by the incredible luck and good fortune I had.”
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