Philanthropist, businesswoman, & global advocate for women & girls. Co-chair of the
@gatesfoundation
. Founder of
@pivotalventures
. Author of The Moment of Lift.
Having more women at all levels of government will make government work better—and there’s a realistic path to getting there.
In my latest op-ed, I reflect on what it’ll take to make our government truly representative of the people it serves.
At the core of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s extraordinary life was a simple conviction: “Women belong,” she said, “in all places where decisions are being made.”
Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs
@WHO
now more than ever.
Every year, this birthday hat has come out for family birthdays and has traveled with us for nearly 20 years. Today it’s Bill’s turn again—happy birthday,
@BillGates
! ❤️
The video of George Floyd’s brutal death broke my heart. I’ve watched the protests that followed and have felt overwhelmed with solidarity. And I’m listening as Black advocates and activists call on every American to treat racial justice as a shared responsibility.
I want to see more women making decisions, controlling resources, & shaping policies. That’s why I’m committing $1B over the next 10 years to expanding women’s power & influence in the U.S.
#EqualityCantWait
, & no one in a position to act should either.
In our Annual Letter,
@BillGates
and I reflect on the hard work, heroism, and global cooperation that brought us closer to ending this pandemic, and why prioritizing equity must come next.
I hope you’ll read it.
Honored to meet
@nsitharaman
to discuss India's progress on financial inclusion, digitization, and JAM trinity. India is a global exemplar when it comes to developing digital public infrastructure.
@FinMinIndia
@gatesfoundation
@BMGFIndia
As we go through this difficult time with
#COVID19
, I'm thinking about 3 key things we need to do:
1. Listen to science & public health experts—practice social distancing & take
@WHO
’s
#SafeHands
Challenge
2. Support the most vulnerable
3. Have compassion for ourselves & others
I am heartbroken about the passing of Bill Gates Sr. It is difficult to overstate what he meant to me, to our family, and to our foundation. Bill Sr. liked to say, in characteristic modesty, that the secret to his success was simply “showing up.”
Women have spent the past year campaigning for change, calling out abuse, and reclaiming power. Our country needs more of this. And, to all the women reading this post, it needs more of you in government.
#WomensMarch2018
Never in a million years would I have guessed
@BillGates
was secretly scheming with
@BarackObama
to surprise me on the last night of my book tour. An unforgettable end to an unforgettable experience.
#MomentofLift
"When a father begins a journey into feminism, believing in the worth of his daughters, he can change his whole family’s future."
What a beautiful piece from
@ZiauddinY
.
Sir Fazle was a humanitarian who helped us learn about development work: Building an efficient organization while never forgetting who you were doing it for. We were saddened to hear of his passing and will forever draw inspiration from his work, as will the rest of the world.
Kofi Annan believed in a peaceful and prosperous world for everyone, and he worked toward building it with quiet, forceful integrity. I will miss his wise partnership and his deep laugh. Let’s honor his legacy with optimism and determination.
.
@MichelleObama
& I joined forces to share a message we feel strongly about: As we work to solve the challenges of
#COVID19
, we must make sure girls everywhere have a chance to learn, stay healthy and stay safe—not just for their sake, but for all of ours.
Representation matters, especially when it makes history. Today’s announcement of
@KamalaHarris
as the first Black woman vice-presidential candidate of a major party is a momentous step forward for our country and for all of us.
To overcome
#COVID19
the world doesn’t just need science. It needs a commitment to help people beat this virus wherever they live. Our foundation is proud to support this effort and will join in pledging the resources & brainpower to confront this globally.
No one is safe from COVID-19 until everyone is safe. We started the foundation because we believe every person deserves the chance to live a healthy and productive life. In this global crisis, that means people everywhere should have access to a safe vaccine when it’s available.
Ending this pandemic will require the largest public health effort in history & much more funding. So, today
@gatesfoundation
is committing another $70million to global efforts to develop & distribute safe, affordable, & timely vaccines for low- & middle-income countries
With the tax on sanitary pads gone, more girls in India will be able to go to class, finish their education, and make their contributions to the world.
A historic election in a historic year. I look forward to working with President-elect
@JoeBiden
, Vice President-elect
@KamalaHarris
, and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to help end the pandemic and lead an inclusive recovery.
Each morning, more than 1.3 million Anganwadi workers across India go to work to shape the health and futures of millions of mothers and babies. Learn about the incredible work they do—and join me in saying thank you.
#ThankyouAnganwadiDidi
@PoshanAbhiyaan
I love being their mother. Whatever Mother's Day means to you—a day to celebrate a mom, honor a memory, or reflect on your own resilience—I hope your day is a meaningful one.
Decision-makers can take steps right now to make sure the world recovers from this pandemic stronger, more prepared & more equal than it was before. The key: Women and girls must be at the center of the response. Read more in my piece in
@ForeignAffairs
.
When will America be able to get back to work?
The answer depends on whether workers have caregiving options they can rely on. I write in the
@washingtonpost
about why caregiving must be a priority.
With two of my kids graduating this year, I went back and found the speech I gave at my own high school commencement. Decades later, I still stand by what I said. Here’s the last page.
#TBT
The
@GatesFoundation
will commit an additional $150 million to the global response to
#COVID19
.
We have a responsibility to meet this global crisis with global solidarity.
In 2020, global health went local.
COVID-19 has shown us that what happens in one part of the world matters to the rest of it. If we make sure that the pandemic response reaches everyone, everywhere, we can create a world that’s healthier, more equal, and more resilient.
Thank you,
@PaulKagame
, for hosting the
#KigaliSummit
on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases and for leading the fight to protect the health of the most vulnerable. Rwanda's progress against malaria, sleeping sickness, and other debilitating diseases is extraordinary.
Bill and I believe everyone should have the chance to live a healthy and productive life.
After 20 years of the
@gatesfoundation
, in our Annual Letter we reflect on why that’s still our driving principle—and look ahead to what's next.
Thanks for a wonderful discussion,
@EmmanuelMacron
and
@JustinTrudeau
. Your leadership on gender equality is critical. Our foundation looks forward to partnering with you during France and Canada’s G7 presidencies to ensure these issues remains high on the political agenda.
We are glad to see the U.S. return to
@WHO
. COVID has proven that when it comes to the world’s health, what happens globally can impact all of us locally. There’s no ending the pandemic without global cooperation & no organization better equipped to advance that effort than WHO.
When money flows into the hands of women who have the authority to use it, everything changes—for women, their families, and their communities. That’s why the
@gatesfoundation
is investing $170 million in helping women exercise their economic power.
After our first child was born, I was no longer an executive at Microsoft. I was a mom with a small child—and a busy husband. But ultimately, that loneliness and crisis of self pushed me to define myself.
Earlier this year, I asked President
@BarackObama
about the lessons he’s tried to teach his daughters. I loved his take on an old classic: be responsible.
In August, Nigeria reached 3 years without a case of wild polio.
It happened thanks to the fearless efforts of some 20,000 women volunteers who go door-to-door to vaccinate children.
Today, we celebrate these true heroes in the effort to
#EndPolio
once and for all.
Real reform is possible when leaders take action. Thank you
@EmmanuelMacron
and
@WilliamsRuto
for our conversation on public health and climate action to meet people’s needs. We face big challenges, but we can accelerate progress if we work together.
When I began working in tech, I felt like I had to behave like the guys— more aggressive, less collaborative. It made me miserable. So I ran an experiment: instead of trying to fit in, I would try being myself. And suddenly, everything clicked into place.
As important as it was, this verdict was not justice. If George Floyd had justice, he would be alive today. But this verdict will, I hope, fuel the faith of everyone who believes that justice is possible.
This is not the end. Let’s insist it is just the beginning.
Today, a government in which women have never had an equal voice reached deep into the most private corners of a woman’s life to tell her the choice over what she does with her body is no longer her own. This is America taking a big step backward.
As an engineer who worked on the Apollo missions, my dad made a point of hiring women because he believed the best teams were the ones with women mathematicians on them. He was the first person I ever heard talk about the importance of diversity in tech, and that stuck with me.
Trust experts. Focus on the needs of vulnerable people. Disease outbreaks aren’t gender neutral, so our response can’t be either.
I write about 3 principles that should guide the
#COVID19
response—and explain why your efforts may have already saved lives.
We need everyone working together to combat COVID-19. Today, the
@gatesfoundation
announced a partnership with
@wellcometrust
and
@Mastercard
to launch a new initiative to identify treatments, speed up their development, and ease the burden of this disease worldwide.
We’re joining forces with
@wellcometrust
and
@Mastercard
to create the
#COVID19
Therapeutics Accelerator to identify, assess, develop, and scale-up treatments to the epidemic.
Trevor visits his Grandma Koko in Soweto, South Africa, to talk about his childhood, her life under apartheid, and what exactly he needs to do to get her to watch The Daily Show.
If we’ve learned one thing in 2020, it’s that the pace of progress is anything but static.
On Women’s Equality Day, we can choose to accept incremental gains for gender and racial equality—or insist on something much better, much sooner.
#EqualityCantWait
Thanks to the women who broke their silence, we’ll remember 2017 as the year that we stopped treating discrimination and harassment as the price of admission for women in the workplace.
#TIMEPOY
We all know he’s pretty nerdy. But here’s something you might not know about
@BillGates
: he’s also absolutely hilarious. Happy
#FathersDay
to a great dad!
Anyone who’s read one of
@BarackObama
’s previous books knows he isn’t just a former president. He’s also an incredible writer. I’m looking forward to reading his reflections on his time in office, and on America, in A Promised Land.
Every woman should have the right to decide whether and when to have children.
This is not a decision that any government should make for a woman – it is a personal, private, and often emotional choice that women must be able to make for themselves.
I’m grateful for new commitments from the EU, Germany, Canada, Japan, and the U.S. to help make safe and effective COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines available to people around the world. Thanks to the
#G7
and
@ACTAccelerator
for their leadership.
My parents taught me to leave the world better than I found it.
So many people across the country believe in giving back, too. In a year like no other, let’s make this a giving season like no other.
This
#GivingTuesday
, visit to get started.
For most women, returning to work after a pregnancy brings challenges. It’s moving to hear
@serenawilliams
speak so openly about the challenges she’s faced— and inspiring to see her determination to overcome them.
Thanks to a teacher determined to offer computer science at our high school, I learned to love programming early on. It changed my life. Every student should have the same chance.
#CSEdWeek
I was honored to teach this class with
@MasterClass
, because I believe that anyone can be a giver. By donating your time, offering your skill set, or lending your voice to a cause, you can change the world around you.
Nearly two decades ago, I lost one of my closest friends. The grief was like a wave crashing down on me. But a circle of friends helped me stay afloat. Sometimes the most important gift you can give someone is simply being there for them.
#OptionBThere
When girls see all the different pathways women take into tech, they’re more likely to find their own. So, this
#CSEdWeek
, I’m calling on my fellow women in computing: Share your story with
#ThroughHerEyes
.
What a joy to celebrate the light and love of Jenn and Nayel this past weekend. So grateful we were able to find a way to safely gather for this special day. ❤
Wearing a mask is an important way we can all help stop the spread of COVID-19.
I’m wearing one to protect myself and my community. Masks are a tool to fight the virus—let’s use them.
We’ve got to come together to dismantle the barriers that prevent women and girls from thriving. Because
#EqualityCantWait
.
I wrote about the need to accelerate the pace of progress on gender equality in our Annual Letter:
This year in our Annual Letter, I write about 3 priorities for building a more equal post-pandemic world for women:
1. Treat caregiving as essential infrastructure
2. Address women’s unpaid labor
3. Create financial programs that reach women
Read more:
I don’t have all the answers about how I can use my voice and my philanthropy to be part of the solution. I will continue to deepen my understanding and to stand with people and organizations working toward a future centered on gender and racial equity.
Empowering women and girls belongs at the top of the global agenda. I’m glad to be working with
@JustinTrudeau
,
@HudonIsabelle
, and other members of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council to ensure that it is.
I never in a million years thought that I’d be speaking out about the importance of contraceptives.
But it’s simple: Every woman should be able to plan her family and her future.
Usually, taking a stand means going somewhere and doing something. This time, it’s important to understand that we’re all saving lives by staying home. This simulation explains how social distancing slows the spread of
#COVID19
and protects others.
.
@JustinTrudeau
I'm honored to be part of the
@G7
Gender Equality Advisory Council, and thankful for your continued leadership on this issue. Let's keep working together toward a world where gender never limits any child's future.
There's something about this time of year that will always be pure magic to me. May your holidays be full of warmth, wonder and time with those you love.
If venture capital firms don’t want to miss the next big idea, they need to get better about backing businesses led by women and people of color. Here’s why I’m investing in funds that do.
I’m heartbroken that my teacher, mentor, & friend Paul Farmer is gone. He taught me what it means to listen—to really listen—instead of charging in with my own solution. He showed me how to channel my anger about the barriers that hold people back into relentlessness & optimism.
A president who believes that words matter and has committed to using his voice to unite instead of divide. A vice president who has promised that although she may be the first woman of color to hold this office, she will not be the last. This is the America I believe in.