Bill Gates might be the world's most famous college dropout. But when his youngest daughter, Phoebe Gates, thought about doing the same, her dad refused to let her follow in his footsteps.
On her new podcast, "The Burnouts", which launched last month, Phoebe and co-host, Sophia Kianni, opened up about the ups and downs of launching their digital fashion startup, Phia. Eventually, the conversation turned to family—and how her parents reacted when Phoebe floated the idea of starting her own business.
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Sophia pointed out what everyone's thinking: Phoebe grew up hearing about how her dad followed his dreams, took big risks, and failed more than once before changing the world with Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT).
That's when Phoebe laughed and dropped a revelation.
"It's funny to hear you say that because I literally never remember my dad talking about the start of Microsoft," she said. "I mostly just remember him talking about the foundation. I remember even when we wanted to start the company, him being like, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?'"
Phoebe explained that her siblings, Jennifer and Rory, had taken more traditional paths—medicine and academia—with fewer risks involved. But when Phoebe brought up the idea of dropping out of Stanford to focus on her startup, her parents shut it down fast.
"They were very much like, you need to finish your degree. You don't just get to, like, drop out and do a company," Phoebe said. "Which is so funny because my dad literally did that."
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And unlike her dad, Phoebe listened. She graduated early from Stanford University last June with a degree in human biology—a deadline she pushed for so she could watch her mom, Melinda French Gates, give the commencement speech that year.
"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," Phoebe told Nylon in an interview.
Now 22, Phoebe isn't just following the family's philanthropic legacy—she's adding entrepreneurship to the mix. Her startup, Phia, officially launched this month. It's an AI-powered shopping tool designed to help users compare prices across more than 40,000 retail and secondhand fashion sites. "Phia is like Google Flights for fashion," Phoebe and Sophia explained on the conpany's official Instagram.
While Phoebe acknowledges the privileges she grew up with, she's determined to carve her own path.
"Growing up, I realized that people are always going to have thoughts about me," she told The New York Times. "If the business is successful, people will say, ‘It's because of her family.' And a huge portion of that is true... But I also feel a huge amount of internalized pressure."
So, no—Bill Gates didn't want another dropout in the family. But Phoebe still found a way to chase big dreams, just with a diploma in hand.
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This article Bill Gates' Daughter Says She 'Literally Never' Hears Him Talk About Microsoft — And Finds It 'So Funny' He Wouldn't Let Her Drop Out Like He Did originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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