Bill Gates’ Daughter Accidentally Reveals Father’s Diagnosis

A recent guest appearance by Phoebe Gates, daughter of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast has ignited a flurry of online discussion. During a casual conversation with host Alex Cooper about bringing dates home to her famous father, the 22-year-old Stanford student offhandedly mentioned that Bill Gates “has Asperger’s.”

My dad is pretty socially awkward. He’s said he, you know, has Asperger’s,

Phoebe stated during the Wednesday podcast episode.

This remark quickly drew attention, as the billionaire philanthropist has never publicly confirmed such a diagnosis. While Bill Gates has previously alluded to identifying with traits associated with the autism spectrum, his daughter’s comment marks the first instance of a family member directly referencing a specific condition.

Phoebe continued her anecdote about her father’s social dynamics, recounting an “uncomfortable but so funny” experience of him driving her and a boyfriend to a school dance in complete silence while listening to NPR. “Bringing a guy home is terrifying for the guy. It’s also kind of hilarious for me,” she added.

Listeners swiftly picked up on the seemingly inadvertent disclosure, and the clip rapidly circulated across social media platforms. The comment sparked widespread debate and curiosity regarding the privacy of Bill Gates’ medical history.

One user on X commented, “Not exactly surprising,” while another offered a more cautious perspective, writing, “There seems to be a lot of self-diagnosing going on here. Being high in trait disagreeableness, focused, highly intelligent does not necessarily mean one is ‘on the spectrum.'”

The 69-year-old billionaire has yet to publicly address his daughter’s statement. However, his 2023 memoir, “Source Code,” offers some insight. In the book, Gates wrote that he believed he would likely be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder if he were growing up in the present day. He reflected on his childhood struggles with social interaction and his tendency to become intensely focused on particular interests – characteristics often associated with Asperger’s, which is now considered part of the broader autism spectrum.

I was a hyper-focused kid. I would get so lost in what I was doing, I’d forget to eat,

Gates wrote.

I probably would’ve been diagnosed today, and that’s not a bad thing – it’s part of who I am.

In a February interview with Axios, Gates further elaborated on his experiences of feeling different from his peers. “I always knew I was different in ways that confused people in terms of my energy level and intensity, and going off and just studying things,” he said. “And it’s a little confusing when you’re a kid, that you’re different, or people react to you in some ways, or your social skills – you’re miscuing on various things.”

He also credited his parents with helping him navigate social situations, even without a formal diagnosis at the time.

I definitely think my parents, maybe somewhat unintentionally, because there was no diagnosis, but the way they would explain things to me or push me to socialize was very helpful

Gates noted.

While Phoebe’s comment may have been unintentional, it arrives amidst a growing cultural awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity, including high-functioning autism, particularly among accomplished individuals. In recent years, public figures like Elon Musk have openly discussed being on the autism spectrum.

Phoebe Gates has not offered further comment on the matter, and the full “Call Her Daddy” episode remains available. During the same podcast appearance, she also shared anecdotes about her boyfriend, Arthur Donald, 26, the grandson of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, including a humorous story about mistaking Elton John’s attire at a concert.