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Strange Things About Bill And Melinda Gates' Relationship
By TRINITY ARCHIE
Turned down first date
Bill and Melinda Gates met in the late '80s, when Microsoft was just a small start-up. When he asked her out for the first time, she completely balked at him: "he asked me out for two weeks from Saturday night [...] 'How could you possibly know what you're doing? My schedule doesn't go out that far.'"
Bill's employee
Another odd fact about the Gates' early relationship is that Melinda was fresh out of college and a new employee at Microsoft when Bill began pursuing her. This seems particularly concerning today, as the former Microsoft CEO has an alleged history of inappropriate relationships with employees.
Pros and cons
The Netflix docuseries "Inside Bill's Brain" revealed that Bill made a pros and cons list to help him decide if he was ready for marriage. The Microsoft founder listed these on a whiteboard in his bedroom, which Melinda discovered after walking in on her then-boyfriend, but they obviously still tied the knot.
Traveled with ex
Bill's ex Ann Winblad had a huge impact on him, and the two remained close after their split — to the point where they kept up their tradition of taking annual vacations together. More surprisingly, Melinda seems okay with it, as Time shared the getaways were "an arrangement" she and Bill made.
asked for approval
Bill’s friendship with Winblad doesn't stop at the vacations, as the former Microsoft CEO asked for his ex's thoughts on marrying Melinda: "I called Ann and asked for her approval," Bill told Time. This seems bizarre, but at least Winblad only had nice things to say about Bill getting hitched.