Why did Bill Gates forbid his children from dropping out of school to start a business like him?

(Dan Tri) - Bill Gates dropped out of college to found Microsoft and become the billionaire he is today. However, Bill Gates forbade his children from doing the same.

Bill Gates is famous for dropping out of the prestigious Harvard University to found Microsoft. This decision helped Bill Gates become one of the richest people on the planet.

However, this does not mean that Bill Gates supports his children doing the same.

In an online interview, Microsoft founder Phoebe Gates' youngest daughter shared about her journey to launching a startup called Phia, as well as her parents' reaction when she wanted to start a business.

Phia is a mobile application that allows users to compare prices of new and used fashion items being sold on about 40,000 e-commerce sites. From there, users will make the most suitable shopping choice for their budget.

Bill Gates wants his youngest daughter to complete college before thinking about starting a business (Photo: Getty).

“I never really heard my dad talk about starting Microsoft. I mostly remember him mentioning the foundation. When I said I wanted to start a company, he asked, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’” shared Phoebe Gates.

Phoebe said she once considered dropping out of college to start a business, something her father had done before. However, Phoebe's parents wouldn't let her drop out.

“They were very adamant that I needed to finish my degree and not drop out just to start a company, which is funny because my dad did that,” Phoebe Gates added.

Unlike her father, Phoebe attended Stanford University, where she majored in human biology. Phoebe said that from the moment she entered Stanford, she had to prove herself a lot just because she was Bill Gates' daughter.

“When I went to college, I thought I had so much privilege because I was the child of a famous person. I felt very insecure about that,” Phoebe said.

Phoebe eventually completed her studies with flying colors and graduated early last year with a bachelor’s degree in human biology. After getting the college degree her parents wanted, Phoebe Gates was able to focus on her own startup.

Phoebe Gates, born in 2002, is the youngest daughter of Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. Before Phoebe, there was an older sister Jennifer (born in 1996) and an older brother Rory (born in 1999).

Although Bill Gates is a typical example of dropping out of school to start a business, he himself does not encourage others to drop out of school like him and always advises students to try to complete their university program before starting a business.

"I don't advocate dropping out of college. I advocate continuous learning and having a broad knowledge base. I think only in exceptional cases where timing and urgency become paramount should an individual consider interrupting their education.

"I have used most of the knowledge I learned in college during my work, which shows that serious study is very necessary. I am very happy that I tried very hard in college, when I enrolled in many classes and learned a lot of useful knowledge," Bill Gates shared in an interview with the New York Times.

Bill Gates currently owns an estimated fortune of 118 billion USD, making him the 13th richest person in the world . However, he has affirmed that he will donate all his wealth to charity and leave each of his children only about 10 million USD, enough to keep them from falling into poverty, but not enough for them to live on.

“My children have had a wonderful upbringing and education , so I will leave them less than 1% of my total assets. I believe this is for their benefit. I want them to have the opportunity to earn their own income and have their own success, without being overshadowed by my wealth,” Bill Gates shared.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/vi-sao-bill-gates-cam-con-bo-hoc-de-khoi-nghiep-giong-nhu-minh-20250728013700767.htm