Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his girlfriend Paula Hurd attended the pre-wedding celebrations for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant together. The couple have been in a relationship following Bill Gates’ divorce from Melinda French Gates in August 2021. In February 2023, a report claimed that their relationship was “widely known” but Paula “Hurd had yet to meet Gates’ kids.”

Before confirming their relationship, Bill Gates and Paula Hurd were seen together at several events- Laver Cup in September 2022 and Australian Open in January 2023.

But two years after Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates announced that they were divorcing after 27 years of marriage, his relationship with Paula Hurd was confirmed. The billionaire told the BBC that he planned to find love again after his divorce. He had then said, “Sure, I’m not a robot.”

So who is Paula Hurd?

Paula Hurd was married to Mark Hurd, CEO of software company Oracle, for 30 years, until his death in October 2019. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1984 after which she worked in sales and alliance management at the software company NCR (National Cash Register). After this she worked as a developer and organizer of “memorable” event experiences for personal, corporate and charitable occasions.

She has also been a longtime donor to her late husband’s alma mater, Baylor University which even opened a welcome center named for the couple in September 2023.

She had then said, “Our family is absolutely thrilled with the Hurd Welcome Center. When we made this gift, Mark had a vision for how a welcome experience could transform this corner of campus, and the outcome has by far exceeded our expectations and dreams. I know he would be proud.”

Paula Hurd has two daughters- Kathryn and Kelly- with her late husband.

Are Bill Gates and Paula Hurd engaged?

In July 2023, rumours of the couple’s engagement surfaced after Paula Hurd was seen wearing a piece of jewelry on her ring finger. But a spokesperson for the Microsoft co-founder clarified that the ring belonged to Paula Hurd and does not symbolize an engagement with Bill Gates.

“Our office can confirm that the ring Mrs. Hurd was seen wearing has belonged to her for decades,” the spokesperson said.